Emaan Hamna Ibrahim is not spending her weekends watching cartoons or scrolling on a tablet. Instead, she’s creating handmade jewellery to raise funds for food and hygiene packs that she distributes to people experiencing homelessness in her hometown.

Emaan’s journey began at the age of six, after a pantomime of Robin Hood sparked something in her.

“I watched the pantomime at Christmas time and I was inspired by Robin Hood saying, ‘take from the rich and give to the poor,’” she says. “After this, I wanted to help the poor just like he did.”

Already a fan of bead collecting, Emaan decided to start selling her jewellery to raise money. “I loved collecting beads, and I made bracelets with them for my friends, so I knew how to make them,” she explains.

Emaan posing with her jewellery at a charity fair

With support from her family and community, Emaan launched her business in October 2021 and quickly realised there was a demand for more than just bracelets. “I realised that I needed more variety of jewellery as not everyone wanted to buy bracelets,” she says. 

With help from her mum’s friend, she soon learned to make earrings, necklaces, and keyrings too.

Her earnings go directly towards helping those in need. Emaan now makes 20 food packs a week, funded by her jewellery sales. “I was happy to see people getting a meal at the Street Kitchen but it was always on my mind whether they had enough food to eat at home. This is how I got the idea of making food packs,” she says.

She started by including lunch items, later expanding to hygiene supplies and then breakfast foods after feedback from the people she serves. “The users always tell me that they really appreciate my help and that they use the breakfast items,” she adds.

Since she began, Emaan has raised over £2,500 and distributed nearly 1,500 food packs. “I feel really happy and proud,” she says. “I know my work, however small or big, is making a difference to people’s lives.”

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One of the key lessons she’s learned is not to judge people who are struggling. “Anybody may need some help at some point and I want to help where I can. I don’t want anyone to go hungry,” she says. “When I first went to the Street Kitchen there were only about 30 users, now there are about 120 people that come for food.”

Emaan’s work is part of a growing grassroots effort supported by local groups like the Huddersfield Street Kitchen, which was founded by Danny Burrows and his partner Emma in 2018. Danny, who has previously experienced homelessness himself, started the project by offering just one meal to a man sleeping rough. Today, they support more than 100 people each week with hot meals and essentials.

Emaan says Danny is one of her biggest inspirations. “He was homeless at one time and he has not let that experience get him down. He’s used his experience to set up the Street Kitchen.”

Emaan shopping for essentials to make her food packs

Her work has inspired many others, from local children who now volunteer, to businesses that donate goods. “The Street Kitchen now has a lot more children volunteering and businesses who donate food,” Emaan says. “Happy Monkey Drinks provide donations to me three times a year to include in my food packs.”

Even event organisers have taken notice, often waiving stall fees to support her cause. “Some event organisers don’t charge me a stall fee as they want as much money as possible to go directly to the Street Kitchen.”

Despite her success, the journey hasn’t always been easy. “I had a stall at Christmas and I didn’t sell any jewellery. I was really sad,” she says. “But it made me realise that this only happened once. I make a lot of money on most of my stalls. I think about all the people at the Street Kitchen that need me- this is my motivation.”

She’s currently preparing for her 11+ grammar school exams, which has made time management a challenge. “I am planning my revision, school, mosque and jewellery making time. This gets hard as I don’t have much social time,” she says.

When things get difficult, it’s her mum who helps keep her going. “She reminds me of all the people I’m helping and helps keep me focused.”

Her work hasn’t gone unnoticed. In 2023, Emaan received the British Citizen Youth Award, and was featured on BBC Look North. “They filmed me making jewellery at home, packing the food packs and also filmed me at the Street Kitchen serving the food. This gave me a lot of exposure to my work,” she says. “I went to London and got my award from Kimberly Wyatt and Gillian Keegan.”

This year, she was also a finalist for Inspirational Individual of the Year at the Yorkshire Choice Awards. “Although I didn’t win, I was still really happy that I made it to the top four. My mum explains that it’s not all about winning but taking part.”

These moments have only strengthened her commitment. “People believe in me and trust me and encourage me to carry on which really motivates me.”

Looking ahead, Emaan has big dreams. “My biggest goal is to open a shop where I can give free food and set up a charity. I would also like to sell my handmade jewellery online.”

She encourages other children to get involved in any way they can. “You are never too young,” she says. “If you want to help, you should just go for it and believe in yourself.”

Her message to the world is simple but powerful: “Any little help can make such a big difference to someone’s life. You don’t know what someone is going through.”

If you’d like to support Emaan’s cause, you can buy her jewellery or donate food items. Find her on Instagram: @made_by.emaan.