SLE is an award-winning, conservation-focused handicrafts program built on a straightforward idea: women in communities living alongside snow leopards receive fair-wage opportunities to produce and sell handcrafted products, in exchange for a community commitment to protect snow leopards and their prey. The income supplements what are often modest household earnings, while deepening the connection between local livelihoods and healthy wildlife habitat.
As demonstrated in the video above, produced by our team at the Snow Leopard Foundation (SLF) in Pakistan, success goes well beyond economics. Women participating in SLE are active voices for conservation in their communities, and many have stories of the program genuinely transforming their confidence and sense of purpose.
Rubina’s Story: Sewing Hope in Bagrot Valley
In the scenic Bagrot Valley of Gilgit-Baltistan, 30-year-old Rubina had already been teaching women and girls sewing and embroidery for nearly a decade before her formal involvement with SLE. She rented a small room out of her own pocket and offered free training to women who couldn’t afford fees. Many of those women went on to earn income for their families with the skills she gave them.
When the Snow Leopard Foundation established an SLE sewing and embroidery center in Bagrot, Rubina became its trainer, bringing 30 women through a six-month skills program. “This project is close to my heart because it allows me to continue my work on a larger scale,” she said. “I want to help these women become independent and confident in their abilities.”
Rubina also weaves conservation into her teaching. “Thanks to efforts by organizations like the Snow Leopard Foundation, people have started valuing wildlife,” she said. “Those who once hunted animals are now protecting them.”
Qamar’s Story: Leading Change in Kuju Valley
In the remote Kuju Valley of Chitral, Qamar Gul’s connection to SLE began when the program first came to her area. In 2012, she approached SLF directly with a vision to create a platform where local women could participate in conservation through skill-based income opportunities. It was an idea shaped by her own experience. She had pursued her education against considerable odds, funding her studies by sewing clothes at home while supporting aging parents, three brothers, their children and a dependent sister.
Under her leadership, 30 women signed a conservation agreement with SLF and began producing handmade embroidered napkins. The group went on to produce the highest number of napkins annually among all SLE participants. “From the income of SLE’s napkin production, I was able to support my parents and contribute to my sister’s wedding,” Qamar shared. “Because of SLF, I became the right hand of my father in a time of great need.”
Qamar believed that empowering women would not only support households economically but also encourage environmental stewardship. Now SLF’s master trainer, Qamar has since pursued advanced studies in embroidery and handicrafts and continues to expand opportunities for women in her community. “I want women in my village to have a platform where they can learn, contribute, and earn. SLF gave us that chance, and I want to help expand it further.”
Women Leading Conservation
As we heard from Rubina and Qamar’s stories and the women in the video above, SLE doesn’t just provide additional income; it shifts how women see themselves and their role in the broader landscape. SLE participants are contributing in new ways to their households, their communities and to snow leopard conservation.
You can support Rubina and Qamar and thousands of women across the snow leopard range with a purchase from our conservation shop.
Photo credits: SLF-Pakistan Team
Acknowledgments: Funded by the UK Government through the Darwin Initiative and Illegal Wildlife Trade Challenge Fund.