Vocational Training for 5,000 Women in Pakistan

Thanks to your support, Marshall Direct Fund is happy to announce that the Vocational Training program for the first 200 women will begin this September. After we implement the pilot program in partnership with Foundation for Social Change and train other trainers, our goal is to work with and train 1,000 deserving women in 2013.  Women participating in the vocational program will not only have an opportunity to double their existing income and gain business acumen and financial literacy, but there will be enough revenue generated to place a portion of the profits towards MDF activities to enable financial sustainability and long-term impact of the program for years to come. 

There is still time to donate or encourage others to donate to this project with a 50% matching opportunity through Safer World Foundation on the Global Giving website. MDF is one of a handful of organizations that are being matched and there is still $8,000 in funds available! We are also supporting an 18 day women’s trek in Kashmir for those who would like to get further involved. More information on this once in a lifetime opportunity can be found by visiting the Klimb for Kashmir website: http://www.klimb4kashmir.org/ .  

The World Bank identified a lack of marketable skills and vocational training as one of the three major barriers to Pakistan’s success in alleviating poverty. MDF is committed to the development of a program that teaches marketable skills that the population has identified that they want to learn. We have secured the necessary market linkages in both Pakistan and internationally to launch this program and look forward to sharing our progress with you. Thank you so much for being an active member of our community and helping to Pakistan to overcome these hurdles. Please contact us with any questions or concerns or to share ideas. Want to learn more or connect? Visit our website at www.marshalldirectfund.org or become our fan on facebook.