No jam for the Taliban

The first post we made on this blog featured Fraser Doherty alias Jam Boy, the young man who learned jam-making skills from his granny and went on to drop out of university to set up a business, SuperJam.

Today's post is about another jam maker, but it's a very different story. I read about this brave woman in a piece in the Sunday Times Magazine by Christina Lamb (link below).

Mariam Jami is a jam maker in Afghanistan. She risks her life every day to make jam. She started on her own then grew the business until she had 20 women working for her. She entered the Afghan version of Dragon's Den, wearing the hijab and dark glasses to protect her identity. Coming second, she won $14,000, a huge sum in Afghanistan. On returning home to her village, she found men, under orders from an ex government minister now allied to the Taliban, had beaten up her husband and brother. They threatened her and demanded a share of the winnings. Mrs Jami had to flee to the city, where she continues to make her jam but is unable to return to her home village.

Mrs Jami is one of many women facing terrible consequences in pursuing activities we take for granted, like reading, studying, or running a business. Read the piece by Christina Lamb to find out how bad things have got for women, where marital rape is now legal and gang rapes go unpunished.

Make it and Mend it - a call to revolution!

For too long we have been accustomed to buying stuff and then when it breaks or gets a bit worn, chucking it away and getting something new.

This isn't just wasteful, it is also expensive and these days as we are tightening our belts, it makes sense to start making do and mending.

This blog and our growing website will chronicle the movement to make do and mend: helping you remodel that garment, shift that stain, or mend that light fitting. We will highlight inspirational examples, share tips and ideas and pass on useful information for living more creatively and sustainably.

Please check out http://www.makeitandmendit.com and send us your own tips and suggestions too.

The blog will focus on news and stories and examples of people who are living Make it and Mend it (we call it MIAMI). It is meant to be a source of inspiration on how to recycle, reuse, adapt, repair, make and refashion.

We heard an inspiring story this week, which shows it's not just women that are making and mending. This young man has shown that what Granny knows can turn into a lucrative business and set you on the road to becoming an entrepreneur.

Fraser Doherty, 19, dropped out of university to devote more time to his fledgling jam-making business. This started out as a kitchen table enterprise and grew from the passion Fraser developed for jam-making after being taught at age 14 by his grandmother. He got up to 1000 jars a week in his parents' kitchen before moving the business into a factory. He is now selling half a million jars a year, under the brand name Superjam and the business is growing fast.

Recognising what he owes to his grandmother, Fraser has launched a charity, "Superjam Tea Parties" to get old people socialising over tea (and jam!) at community centres across the country.

We really like this idea of acknowledging the contribution older people have made to society and can still make. One of our missions at Make it and Mend it is to tap into the vast knowledge and skill base of older people and find ways to bring this experience to the forefront. As part of this Jam Boy (as he is known) has supported the elderly folks in a nationwide Knitathon to knit squares to amke blankets for for Indian orphans. To find out more about Fraser and his Super Jam parties have a look at his SuperJam Blog.

Do you know of any inspirational role models? Do you have ideas on how to share the knowledge and skills of older people? Are you in touch with a local community group that is doing this?
Contact us below or on info@makeitandmendit.com
See also our website post on Knitting a square to help a child
Meet the MIAMI team