How one woman became the change she wanted to see in the world

Bano Fatima is only in her early twenties but she is already doing amazing work in India.

8 months ago, Bano stood on the stage of the Global Citizen Festival and received a Global Citizen Movement award in front of 60,000 people.

Mahatma Gandhi once said that ‘you must be the change that you wish to see in the world.’ For Bano, being a Global Citizen embodies that change. She explains that, being a Global Citizen means “believing in the ideals of equality, justice and the right to dignity of every human being. It means standing up to the biggest threats to humanity and challenging the structures that perpetuate such inequalities.”

Her fondest memory of the Global Citizen Festival was receiving the HP LIFE award in front of thousands of people with the beautiful view of the NYC skyline before her, and sharing the stage with some of the greatest leaders and artists of our generation. She explains that participating in the Global Citizen Festival has amplified the work she is doing with Weaver’s Hut, a social enterprise that helps fabric weavers overcome the obstacles of social exploitation and economic inequality in India, as it "gave her motivation and insight to improve and re-strategize."

In the coming five years, Bano hopes to see their key priorities expand to more villages and increase the number of households that they work with. At the moment a large chunk of their work is focused on socio-economic empowerment and income generation for the most vulnerable weavers. Additionally, Bano is working to expand their market base to more cities in India as well as to international markets.

Judith Rowland