A STROUD student is taking her fashion skills to Africa in a bid to help widowed tribes-women.

Amelia Haslett, 19, has designed an innovative fashion project which aims to provide a sustainable income for Maasai widows.

The SGS College art foundation student will be travelling to Tanzania in July to help set up an eco-friendly fashion label there.

Amelia’s new project is called Female Empowerment Through Fashion, and will see her share garment design, manufacture and marketing skills with the Maasai women.

“In traditional Maasai culture, widows have very few rights,” said Amelia.

“They become part of their late husband’s family and their property rights transfer to his family too.

"The inherited wives become the lowest on the status ladder and lose their home, their belongings and often the choices for their children.”

Amelia will be working with the charity Naserian in Tanzania, which helps the widows to develop an independent income.

“I will work with the widows, teaching them construction skills and embellishment techniques, whilst embracing and merging their traditional dress with our own western trends,” she said.

“The goods produced will be sold online and in local markets surrounding their villages in Tanzania.

“The money generated will fund the education of girls, creating opportunity for equality and independence for these widows.

“Furthermore, with only natural fabrics mainly accessible to the tribe in Tanzania, the project will be an upcoming label which practises solely sustainable production in a currently environmentally harmful fashion world.”

Amelia, who is set to take up at place at the London College of Fashion in September, said she believes fashion design can be used as an important tool of change.

“This project is not about the modern day materialistic obsession surrounding fashion,” she said.

“Instead it uses fashion design as a form of cultural self-expression to create beautiful products which can sustain the community.

“By carrying out this project using creative knowledge and the skills of simple garment design and construction, education will be passed on through the generations.”

Amelia is now fundraising towards the project. To make a donation, visit bit.ly/2v5qaY6