QUAID-i-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah once said: “No nation can rise to the height of glory unless your women are side by side with you.”

In spite of the low literacy rate of women in rural and arid areas of Dadu district, an organisation has empowered rural women by establishing independent women community intuitions at union council level by providing them grants in millions for life-long survival of their institutions with the objective of average sustainable increase of poor household incomes. We need more organisations like this.

In a recent workshop, a woman said that this was the first time her husband had been known/acknowledged by her name, as women here are mostly identified by their father, husband or son’s name.

Currently their institutions are working for alleviation of poverty by engaging women in small-medium enterprise (SME) activities. I urge the government of Sindh and organisations working on women empowerment and economic development of Pakistan to introduce small projects first time under women leadership to ensure women empowerment.

Fahad Rind

Johi

Published in Dawn, November 23rd, 2019