Free Education for 150 poor girls in Pakistan

A two-day intensive training program was conducted, focusing on practical tunnel farming techniques. The workshop aimed to build the capacity of village women, enabling them to adopt innovative farming methods and enhance their economic potential. Participants: The training was attended by 25 women, mostly mothers who prioritize their daughters' education and send them to school. This demographic was specifically targeted to empower them to support their families and create a positive impact on their communities.

Training Highlights: 

-Comprehensive practical training on tunnel farming techniques

- Hands-on experience in setting up and maintaining tunnel farms

-Expert guidance on soil preparation, crop selection, and irrigation management

- Interactive sessions on marketing strategies and entrepreneurial skills

Outcomes:

- Enhanced knowledge and skills in sustainable agricultural practices

- Increased confidence among participants to start their own tunnel farms

- Empowerment of women to contribute financially to their families

- Potential to increase household income and improve overall well-being

Conclusion:

The training program successfully achieved its objective of empowering village women through sustainable agricultural techniques. The participants demonstrated enthusiasm and dedication, and we believe they will become agents of change in their communities. We look forward to monitoring their progress and providing ongoing support to ensure their success.

Recommendations:

- Conduct follow-up training sessions to reinforce learned skills and address challenges faced by participants - Establish a support network for participants to share experiences and best practices - Explore opportunities for market linkages and value addition to enhance the economic benefits of tunnel farming By investing in the empowerment of village women, we can create a ripple effect of positive change in their families and communities, contributing to a more equitable and sustainable future.

On the occasion of Interanational Women Day, a training was held in the village on financial literacy with the women of the village including the mothers of the students. The objective of the event was to educate the women on how to earn, spend, save, borrow, and protect their money. The dream of equality of women can only be acheived on their economic independence. Following was the sequence of sessions 

• Registration/Attendance of the participant
• Introduction of the participants and trainers.
• Introduction of the project.
• Concept of Financial Literacy and it’s important for empowerment of women.
• Various Books of accounts
• Money Management (Cash & Bank)
• Pricing, Revenue, expenditure and profit
• Spending, saving and enhancing the business.
• Borrowing of money (institutions)
• Recapping the day

In the introduction session pairing of the participants was made and one member of the pair introduced the other by her name and one of her any activity which leads to earning for her or her family. The session provided the information about the economic activity the women are performing in their daily routine.

The participants were informed that SDA is holding this activity with the support of NGO Bedari under the  Project “Empowering Women & Girls”. The Commonwealth of Learning (COL) is Canada is the donor of the project. 

Economic Empowerment to the Women is the sound foundation to achieve the goal of fulfillment of women rights.

Concept of financial literacy was elaborated in detail. They are spending money and financial literacy leads to the rational decisions about the daily financial matters. Concept of Transaction and types of transactions was discussed. Revenue, Expenditure, Assets, Capital and Liabilities were also discussed.

In continuity of the previous session the participants were introduced about the various books of accounts i.e. Cash, Ledgers, Asset Record register. They were divided into various groups and they performed ten financial transactions and presented their work in the session.

Next session was about the money management. They were told about the handling of cash in a safe manner. They were also told about the opening of account in the banks and other related proceedings. They were also introduced about the mobile banking (Jazzcash, Easy Paisa etc.)

A session was specific about the effective business and rational decision making in competitive pricing, generating more revenue, reducing expenses, maximizing profits, spending the percentage of money on themselves for living a quality life and saving and re-investing to enhance their business.  

In last session the participants were introduced about the various financial institutions to borrow the money for economic activities.

At the end a participatory recapping was made to further strengthen their concept of financial literacy.