Mon Ami Foundation - Blogs #designthinkingMon Ami Foundation - Blogs #designthinkinghttps://www.monamifoundation.com/blogs/tag/designthinkingThu, 09 Apr 2026 03:24:37 +0530http://zoho.com/sites/<![CDATA[AI and Women’s Day: From Speed to Equality]]>https://www.monamifoundation.com/blogs/post/ai-and-women-s-day-from-speed-to-equalityOn Women’s Day, Mon Ami Foundation reframes AI as a tool for equity, empowering women with knowledge, financial fluency, and partnerships to drive sustainable growth and global progress.]]>
International Women's Day

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is transforming industries and everyday life—automating tasks, accelerating decisions, and reshaping opportunities. Yet, most applications remain focused on efficiency. At Mon Ami Foundation, we believe Women’s Day is the perfect moment to reframe AI as more than a tool for speed. It must become a lever for equity, sustainability, and collaboration.

 

Breaking Information Asymmetry

(SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth)

Women have historically faced barriers due to limited access to information and decision-making tools. AI can dismantle these barriers by democratizing access to knowledge in finance, healthcare, nutrition, and education.

  • The Impact: When women are equipped with AI-driven decision support systems, they can participate more fully in economic activity.
  • The Result: A direct advancement of SDG 8, fostering decent work and economic growth for all.

 

Financial Empowerment as a Catalyst

(SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production)

We know that when women gain access to funds and financial decision-making, they uplift entire families and communities. AI-powered financial literacy tools can amplify this impact by:

  • Simplifying investments and decoding complex loan terms.
  • Forecasting household budgets with precision.
  • Guiding sustainable choices in consumption and production.

By directing resources toward responsible use, AI contributes to SDG 12, ensuring a healthier planet and more resilient local economies.

 

Moving Beyond Literacy to AI Fluency

(SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals)

The social sector has long focused on financial literacy for women. The next frontier is AI fluency—equipping women to use intelligent systems that provide real-time, personalized guidance.

"Whether it’s nutrition apps suggesting affordable, healthy meals or finance dashboards highlighting savings opportunities, these tools can transform women’s agency."

Achieving this requires deep collaboration across governments, social enterprises, and technology innovators. This synergy is the heart of SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals.

 

Women’s Day Call to Action

On this Women’s Day, let’s reframe AI as a tool for equity, sustainability, and collaboration. By ensuring women have equal access to AI-driven decision support systems, we don't just accelerate gender equality—we accelerate global progress.

 

 

]]>Fri, 06 Mar 2026 11:03:36 +0530<![CDATA[Why Should All the Turtles Look the Same?]]>https://www.monamifoundation.com/blogs/post/why-should-all-the-turtles-look-the-sameWhy Should All the Turtles Look the Same? In our CraftHub, this question sparks endless debate:  why should all the turtles look the same?  As ]]>
Turtle
Why Should All the Turtles Look the Same?

In our CraftHub, this question sparks endless debate: why should all the turtles look the same? As we build capacity and train artisans to produce multiple units of the same product, we aim for a remarkable 95% likeness across dozens of pieces. It’s a demanding standard, especially when multiple artisans are racing against deadlines. Even when the design criteria are met, subtle differences emerge—tiny variations in curve, finish, or detail.


Our buyers, though supportive of artisan work, often come from a background of purchasing bulk, machine-made imports from neighbouring countries. They are accustomed to absolute uniformity: rows of identical products, each indistinguishable from the next. Against that backdrop, our handcrafted pieces sometimes feel “different.” And so begins the delightful conversation: why should they all look the same?


Machines excel at replication. They erase individuality in favour of efficiency. But handmade products carry the imprint of the human hand—the rhythm of the artisan’s skill, the nuance of their touch, the story of their craft. Each piece is not just an object; it is a signature. When we pause from machine-made perfection, we discover beauty in individuality. The slight differences are not flaws; they are proof of authenticity.


Uniformity has its place in mass production. But in artisan work, sameness risks stripping away the very soul of the craft. Buyers who embrace individuality are not just purchasing a product; they are investing in heritage, creativity, and human connection. Each turtle, while similar, carries its own personality. And isn’t that worth celebrating?


So, the next time someone asks why all the turtles don’t look the same, perhaps the better question is: why would we want them to?

]]>Fri, 13 Feb 2026 11:59:02 +0530<![CDATA[The Crochet Movement: Weaving threads of continuity, to empower women]]>https://www.monamifoundation.com/blogs/post/the-crochet-movement-weaving-threads-of-continuity-to-empower-women

The Crochet Movement: Weaving threads of continuity, to empower women

It gives me great pride to pay my college fees with my own earnings, gushes one of the participants, aged 20, poring over the intricate design she creates with the crochet needle in her hand

India is built on a culture of craft and weaving, as is evident by the archaeological discovery of a small shred of cotton cloth stuck to a pottery shard dated back to the Harappa and Mohenjo-daro settlements of 2600 BC. Women in particular are intrinsically linked to heritage arts and crafts.

These knowledge systems of weaving and creation, are interconnected, as they have been passed down from one generation to the next, to ensure continuity between communities and their ecosystems. When Mon Ami Foundation began work with migrant women in the NCR region, this intrinsic crafting know-how allowed for ease of training. Inherent dexterity, aesthetic acumen, fluidity of movement and innate skills ensure that these women learn crochet with minimum effort to create contemporary designs, under the guidance of our trainers.

The team at Mon Ami Foundation conducts face-to-face classes daily, where women are skilled, reskilled and upskilled to learn new stiches, finishing techniques and patterns. Today, with the onset of the pandemic, our training sessions have continued remotely via technology. These group training sessions create lasting bonds between women who have been displaced from their homes, giving them a sense of community. Often, little girls who accompany their mothers, show a keen interest in the art and pick up the skill alongside. Going forward, Mon Ami is looking to set up "Train the Trainer Programs" to broaden the scope on the number of women they can impact

Women play a crucial role in the growth of any economy, and hence, it is essential to promote skill development to provide high productivity, increased employment opportunities and higher income. We can realise Goal # 5 of the Sustainability Development Goals (SDGs) for 2030, that of gender equality, by harnessing the power of women as key agents to achieve socio-economic transformation. Recognizing this, Mon Ami Foundation, in partnership with HCL Foundations Craft Hub, has embarked on setting up the largest Crochet movement in the country.

To become a market linkage partner or to commission direct projects, do connect: contact@monamifoundation.com
]]>Wed, 06 Jan 2021 17:34:00 +0530