KARACHI, Feb 9: A large number of women thronged a fund-raising bazaar organized by the Saarc Women’s Association here on Saturday afternoon.

The Association has been organizing such events for the past 11 years, to raise funds which are later used for charitable causes.

More than 70 stalls had been set up by women entrepreneurs, where handicrafts and goods made by women at their homes were available.

Speaking on the occasion, the Association’s chief, Nargis M. Rahimtoola, said the organization was working to strengthen cultural cooperation among the seven member countries of Saarc.

She said such bazaars were held to provide marketing opportunity to under- privileged women of the country. She said the organization had identified a mother and child healthcare centre in Lyari and was supporting it from the funds generated through events like this one.

She added that the project focused on family planning and provided basic health care to women and children of Lyari. Funds generated from this year’s event would also be spent on the Lyari project and to promote women entrepreneurs in the country.

Various goods, including ceramics, wooden handicrafts, bamboo products, wrought iron, bedded handbags, candles, crochet work and embroidered clothes, fibreglass items, recycled items, paper products, pottery, stationery, fancy baskets, leather bags, silverware, linen, cushions, etc, were being sold at the stalls, where women were buyers as well as sellers.