"Empowering 70 Afghan Women Refugees in India: How This Couple's 'SilaiWali' Brings Their Stories to Life Through Dolls"

In 2017, Iris Strill and Bishwadeep Moitra encountered a group of Afghan refugee women in Delhi who were struggling to survive due to a lack of employment opportunities. These women had fled Afghanistan following the resurgence of the Taliban after 2010-11, when the group began regaining power following the withdrawal of US troops after the killing of Osama bin Laden in 2011.

Moved by the plight of these women, Iris and Bishwadeep were determined to help them achieve financial independence. In 2018, they launched SilaiWali, a social enterprise that repurposes waste fabric from garment factories to create handcrafted products like rag dolls, pouches, purses, and wall art. 

Starting with just 10 women, SilaiWali has since grown to support over 70 Afghan refugee women. In addition to empowering these women, the initiative has also helped prevent over 15,000 kg of fabric from ending up in landfills.

Iris, who moved to India in 2006 after marrying Bishwadeep, a former journalist she met at a yoga center, continued working as a design consultant for international clothing brands. During this time, she was struck by the vast amounts of fabric waste generated by the fashion industry in Delhi. This observation led to the idea of using discarded fabric scraps to create valuable products.