Halcrow Foundation is part of the multi-million pound Women’s Economic Empowerment Programme, run by the British Asian Trust.
The programme aims to give 60,000 marginalised women from India and Pakistan the skills, materials and opportunities to find work or grow their own business. It is funded by a number of donors, including the UK Government’s Department for International Development. Halcrow Foundation is supporting an extension of some of the work British Asian Trust (BAT) is already doing in Pakistan and India.
Barriers to work
In Pakistan, an estimated 25 per cent of women work for economic gain compared to 85 per cent of men. Men also hold a lot of influence over the lives of their female relatives and control over household income. A study by the World Bank found that most men didn’t want the women in their families going out to work because they believe in traditional gender roles, and worry this would cause social problems. This study highlights some of the reasons why women in countries like Pakistan often have limited access to the resources, services, knowledge and markets needed to build a business or find employment. It also shows the support that exists for their economic empowerment, which organisations like BAT are building on.
Changing the future
With funding from the Halcrow Foundation, 240 women in India and Pakistan will receive skills training and support to access the formal job market or set up their own enterprise. Halcrow Foundation support is also helping BAT build their Women’s Economic Empowerment Programme to benefit thousands more women and girls in the future.
This will give women in India and Pakistan the tools and confidence to make money and manage their income in a fast-changing economy. It empowers them to lift their families out of poverty, which in turn brings greater opportunity to invest in the education and health of their children. In the past two years in Pakistan alone, more than 5,600 women have gained access to financial services through training and support and 5,300 women have increased their income. Around 4,500 women are training in business management or a vocation, and more than 1,300 have paid internships, apprenticeships, jobs and self-employment.
Irshad’s story
Irshad managed her household and six children while her husband went out to work selling fruit and vegetables. After a chance meeting with Kaarvan Crafts Foundation, which partners with the British Asian Trust to run the Women’s Economic Empowerment Programme in Pakistan, she was able to train in sewing and business skills.
“My kids knew,” says Irshad, “But my husband didn’t know. He used to leave in the morning and come back in the night, and between that time I used to complete my training and be back home. I kept the training a secret throughout the years.”
Irshad’s husband eventually found out and realised her training and work were important to her. As Irshad’s support system grew, she was able to work and earn enough money to add half as much again to the household income.
Today, Irshad believes it is important for a woman to have a job. She says, “There is no feeling in the world like that of spending one’s own hard-earned money.” She believes self reliance and independence is important in shaping a woman’s identity, and uses this to inspire and motivate the women around her to stand up for their rights too.
Photo credits: British Asian Trust
