14/09/2026
The word Behbud is derived from Urdu meaning betterment. Established in 1970, Behbud Association Karachi is a women-led organisation supporting underserved women. It is an investment in a chain of change that runs from one generation to the next. A woman who earns can invest in her children's schooling, her family's health, and her own dignity. Through our vocational and income generation programmes — computer courses, sewing and embroidery, beautician training, block printing, and hand crafts — we equip women with skills they can convert into livelihoods. This is where the circle of change begins, and where it keeps returning.
“Weaving Waves” is an upcycling project by Behbud Association Karachi in collaboration with artists Miro Craemer and Hira Khan, emerging from their 2024 research project Mindful Threads, PIECES — Sustainability, Ecology, and Fairness in Art through Intercultural Exchange.
The project explores water and urban flooding in the context of the global climate crisis, focusing on younger generations and using storytelling, art, and craft to reflect on flooding, resilience, and hope.
As part of the project, artist, educator, and author Rumana Hussain was invited to the Behbud High school to read her children's book ‘Rani and the Floods’. Following the reading, the school children responded to the story through their own drawings, which became the visual starting point for the project.
The children's drawings were developed into patterns and motifs and translated into garments using leftover and surplus materials from Behbud's Production Project, giving existing materials a new life. The resulting coats and dress were designed by Khan and Craemer and realised in Karachi with Umer Hilaly, Designer Volunteer, whose judicious aesthetic input and practical knowledge were instrumental in adapting and implementing the designs on the ground.
The works were brought to life through the skills of Nosheen, and Amber (embroiderers), Najma, Aqleema,and Aqeel (block printer), Kashif Mehmood (Incharge HandCraft), and Asad Shabbir (Tailor), alongside the Behbud volunteer members and wider team.
