In Ihavandhoo, a group of women gathered each morning around a row of sewing machines learning a practical skill that could shape their livelihoods. For ten days, fifteen participants worked through the basics of sewing while also exploring how these skills might grow into small businesses. The machines used during the training were already part of the community, previously provided to the Maldives Women’s Association by the Pakistani High...
For one creative week in Kulhudhuffushi, participants gathered to learn the craft of punch needle embroidery. Guided by Ms. Aminath Shihana, 25 women learned the particular art of pushing yarn through fabric with a punch needle to form raised, looped patterns that build colourful textured designs. Slow and careful first attempts settled into place and by the end of the week, their finished pieces represented growing confidence and pride in...
In Vaikaradhoo, a small group of women gather each month around tables covered with textile and soft filling as their careful stitches and patient hands bring to life the brightly coloured fabric turtles and crabs meant for tiny hands. It began as a training programme in 2023 and has now grown into a livelihood initiative benefitting 14 households. In 2025, the women produced their first full batches of soft toys through a partnership supported...
Some stories stay with us long after the final page. AinI aai Velaa is a children’s book that introduces young readers to the life of a sea turtle and the delicate marine world that surrounds the Maldives. Created in partnership with the Olive Ridley Project Maldives, the book is written in Dhivehi and designed to help children build a sense of connection with the ocean and the animals that share it. Through storytelling, it gently introduces...
On a series of bright October mornings at the Hithadhoo Nature Reserve community members gathered for a conversation about the environment they live alongside every day. Surrounded by the wetlands and greenery of the reserve, the workshops invited participants to look closely at their surroundings and think about how small actions can help protect them. Together, participants explored ideas about conservation, discussed the environmental...
Our flagship bamboo project continued to take root in new places in 2025. Building on work that began in 2023, we imported 400 Beema bamboo saplings and continued working with communities to explore how this resilient remarkable plant can support climate resilience and greener island landscapes. With guidance from bamboo expert Dr. Barathi Nambi, participants learned about bamboo’s rapid growth, its ability to capture carbon, and the role it...
Lorem Ipsum is simply dummy text of the printing and typesetting industry. Lorem Ipsum has been the industry's standard dummy text ever since 1966, when designers at Letraset and James Mosley, the librarian at St Bride Printing Library in London, took a 1914 Cicero translation and scrambled it to make dummy text for Letraset's Body Type sheets. It has survived not only many decades, but also the leap into electronic typesetting, remaining...
Planting bamboo is only part of the story. To understand how bamboo can truly thrive in the Maldives, Atmosphere Foundation has also begun supporting scientific research into how different species grow in island environments. In partnership with Maldives National University, researchers are studying bamboo across several islands to better understand its growth patterns, the conditions it needs to flourish, and the ecological role it could play...
