“I had never seen a Rs5,000 note, let alone hold one in my hands,” says Hameeda Hasan.

In her early 20s, Hameeda is one of the first girls in her family as well as her neighbourhood to have stepped out of the confines of her house for work and earn Rs7,000 per month.

A resident of Ibrahim Hyderi, a coastal village on the outskirts of Karachi, she lives in a partially constructed two-room house with her parents and eight siblings.

Education having never chanced to cross her path, a female in what is still a largely patriarchal society, Hameeda didn’t have much going in her favour. Like other girls in her community, she, too, was “hanging around till a decent proposal came” along and she could start her life anew.

Little did she know that by signing up for an International Labour Organisation (ILO) project entitled Promoting Gender Equality for Decent Employment (GE4DE) carried out by local NGOs, she would not only earn but also be able to help her family which was struggling to make ends meet. The project aimed at giving uneducated women technical training that would enable them to find work.

According to the Labour Force Survey (LFS) for 2010-11, Pakistan has a labour force of 57.24 million people. But what is important are the number of people unemployed. As many as 0.70 million people are jobless in Sindh alone. The break down of 0.54 million men and 0.16 million women is a further cause for worry.

Fishing for glory

With its broken lanes and squalid environs, the Ibrahim Hyderi village is one of the most marginalised areas of Karachi, Sindh. Fishing and boat making are the two primary trades for the men in this town to earn their living.

With fishing on a sharp decline for the last few years, more so when an oil tanker ran aground just off the coast eight years ago, the fishermen often seek work as labourers during off season. To supplement the family income, women often seek work at the nearby shrimp peeling factories (paras) or weave fish nets.

It is under these circumstances that opportunity knocked on Hameeda’s door. “When the social mobilisers of a local NGO came to my house and gave a briefing, I became very interested in the idea. But my father wasn’t keen on the idea,” she says.

Hameeda insisted that her father allow her to attend the trainings. And after a lot of pestering, coaxing and promises, he finally gave in.

Though hesitant at first, when Hameeda and her 30 fellow batch-mates first entered the factory, she says they had a great time “learning and earning”.

When asked if she knew about the ILO or its aims, Hameeda says: “I don’t know what it means but the training and certificate I received from them has changed my life for good.

“Now at least there is money for medicine. When my younger brother fell ill, we were able to afford to take him to a doctor. Earlier, my mother could barely think of it,” she says, the pain and relief mixed in her voice bear testament to how her contribution to the meagre family income is making a difference where it counts the most.

“I never went to school and nor did my other sisters. But I am glad my father is sending the youngest two children for studies, he realises that education offers some hope,” a beaming Hameeda tells me in Sindhi.

A little support goes a long way

Similar sentiments were expressed by yet another girl, who passed out successfully from another training project aimed at 300 rural women in Thatta and Badin.

“The first time I received Rs1,300 for my embroidery work, I was quite pleased with myself,” says Salma, a resident of Khan Mohammad Lashari village in Thatta.

In her early 20s, she was educated up to the primary level. “There’s no secondary school for girls nearby and this has stopped a lot of girls from studying further.

“I heard about the project and expressed interest. The idea appealed to me and I was positively thrilled after I was made the facilitator for my village,” she says. She heads a team of 30 women in her village and makes sure that the orders are delivered on a timely basis.

“The men in my family posed no restrictions as such, given that they were well acquainted with Participatory Development Initiative (PDI) work regarding land reforms in our village. However, not all women had it easy,” she says.

Obviously men do listen to us now! If I give money to my family, they do ask for my opinion as well. The men do treat us better,” she says while narrating how the married women have been given hope.

“For the married ladies, buying toys or medicine for their children means a big thing. Earlier, they depended on their men for these things, but now they can get these things themselves, be it a clean uniform or new clothes or medicine.”

Slowly, slowly …

“It’s interesting to see how a little support and encouragement changes things for people,” says Abdul Nasir Baloch, a young man heading an NGO, Sohb Educational Welfare Society, in Hub Town, Lasbela, Balochistan.

Under the Marble Mosaic Training for Women project, his NGO managed to train 70 women in the craft of mosaic with the help of ILO.

“I won’t say that I was surprised when the mothers pushed their daughters to sign up for the training, but in hindsight I would say that they want the best for their daughters and saw this opportunity as a way out,” he adds.

“The ‘societal values’ are so ingrained in them that it’s a daily struggle for them to adapt to new things. Plus, the Baloch cultural norms make it difficult for females to step outside,” he explained.

He says the biggest hurdle to overcome was winning the confidence of parents and husbands. “The parents had valid fears and concerns, given that some of these areas and localities are not the safest places. Also, the idea of sending their daughters outside meant giving them freedom to make choices, something most men in the area were not comfortable with,” he elaborated.

Offering incentives in the form of a monthly stipend as well as transportation during the training phase and even later when the women wanted to finish their pieces at the centre, made it easier for women to work.

“Given that the women had limited interaction and felt awkward initially as that mosaic work is generally carried out by men, they were encouraged to interact and observe. From being a weakness, this became one of the strengths of the programme,” Baloch observed.

“Now things are different. We are helping supplement the monthly income. If fathers and brothers made Rs7,000 a month, we are bringing in an equal amount of money too and are in a position to negotiate for a better life. Cheezein badltee hain ahista ahista (things change, slowly, slowly),” a mosaic training course graduate said.

Observing how an improvement in their finances had brought real and positive change in their lives, the women and girls opined that had they been formally educated, they might have had a better chance at life.

“I could have been in a different position, maybe earning more. The women who are our supervisors are better off due to their education. I am glad that my youngest siblings are going to school and I hope they will have better options in life. I am glad that this training has changed my life for good. Someday when I have children, I’ll ensure that they attend school and are able human beings,” a beneficiary commented.