ISLAMABAD: The Society for the Protection of the Rights of the Child (SPARC), in collaboration with the Commonwealth of Learning (COL) and Bedari, has concluded its three-year Empowering Women & Girls (EWG) Project, which benefited more than one million women and girls across Pakistan.
The project, supported by Global Affairs Canada (GAC), concluded with a ceremony attended by policymakers, government officials, development partners, civil society representatives, academics, journalists, community leaders and project beneficiaries.
Parliamentary Secretary for Communications Engineer Gul Asghar Khan Baghoor praised the project’s contribution to expanding access to education, strengthening livelihoods and promoting gender equality. He stressed the need to sustain such initiatives to create greater opportunities for women and girls.
National Assembly member Dr Shazia Sobia Aslam Soomro lauded the entrepreneurial skills of women beneficiaries and announced plans to facilitate a similar exhibition at Parliament House to provide women entrepreneurs with a wider platform to showcase and market their products.
National Commission on the Status of Women member Noureen Bano Lehri called for incorporating the project’s successful models into national policies to ensure their sustainability and expand their impact across the country.
Global Affairs Canada’s Sasha Oliveira said the partnership between GAC, COL, SPARC and Bedari had expanded educational opportunities, strengthened livelihoods and promoted gender equality, reaffirming Canada’s commitment to supporting women and girls in Pakistan.
Commonwealth of Learning Senior Adviser Frances Ferreira said the initiative had empowered women and girls through a community-centred approach, creating lasting benefits for families and communities.
SPARC Executive Director Asiya Arif Khan said the project demonstrated the impact of partnerships in addressing barriers to equality through education, skills development and community engagement.
Bedari Executive Director Anbreen Ajaib highlighted the role of strong community partnerships in ensuring sustainable and long-term change.
SPARC Programme Manager Sabeen Almas said the project reintegrated more than 10,000 girls and boys into formal education and Open Schooling programmes, provided vocational and labour market skills training to over 77,000 women and girls, engaged more than 465,000 women and girls through awareness sessions on human rights and gender equality, and reached over one million people through public campaigns promoting women’s rights, education and social inclusion.
Several other speakers, including Member of the National Assembly Huma Akhtar Chughtai, Allama Iqbal Open University Director Dr Zahid Majeed and officials from local institutions, highlighted the project’s positive impact on girls’ education, women’s empowerment and community development.
