Helping to Empower Vulnerable Women:

Photo: Shoaib IMC/ Pakistan

Skill Training

IMC helping to Empower Vulnerable Women in the Earthquake Affected Area

The devastating earthquake of October 2005 killed more than 75,000 people and destroyed many villages, towns and cities in northern parts of Pakistan. It also devastated the life of those who survived the initial destruction - with their loved ones gone and means of livelihoods destroyed - they were left with little hope for the future.

Women were affected most, as in Pakistan men are typically responsible for earning a living for their family and women take care of the household chores and children, the loss of a husband, son or father left many women without any source of income. As most of the women in rural areas affected by the

Photo: Shoaib IMC/ Pakistan

Skill Training.

earthquake are illiterate, performing even the most basic tasks without the support of the male family members was a challenge. With no education and income generating skills to fall back on, there was little hope of earning a decent livelihood for themselves and their families, making these women highly vulnerable and distressed.

IMC was one of the first organizations to respond to the earthquake emergency. Besides providing emergency medical care to the victims, IMC worked closely with communities, and provided primary health care, mental health & psychosocial services, health and hygiene education to the affected communities and rebuilt water supply and sanitation facilities. However, specific efforts were required to restore the lives of the affected women by providing them livelihood sources in a sustainable manner.

Photo: Shoaib IMC/ Pakistan

Skill Training

IMC, in early 2007, started a unique program to empower these women by developing literacy and teaching them skills to earn a living under its "integrated Literacy and Livelihood program" which focused on empowering the affected women and adolescents by providing them basic literacy skills like reading, writing, basic mathematics, and then to train them by teaching them tailoring and embroidery skills. For this purpose IMC established three Literacy and Livelihoods centers (LLC) in Mansehra District. The program was expanded in 2008 and the number of LLCs was increased to 10. Teachers were hired from local communities and trained in special teaching techniques for adult education and vocational skills training.

IMC staff worked with community elders to identify and enroll vulnerable women in the LLCs, and 75 women and adolescents were enrolled, 25 in each center. In 2008 another group of 250 women were enrolled in the ten LLCs. Most of these women were illiterate and had never been exposed to any teaching and learning.

Photo: Shoaib IMC/ Pakistan

Skill Training

The literacy component of the program is based on 'Jugnoo Sabbaq' an accelerated adult literacy package developed by education experts. It comprises of three literacy books in Urdu and a mathematics book. After the three-month course the learners are able to read and write in Urdu and do simple arithmetic.  More than 95% of participating students have developed reading, writing, and basic calculation capacities as envisaged in the curriculum through quality teaching-learning material, classroom environment, and learner centered teaching methodology.

In addition to literacy skills, the learners were also trained in embroidery and tailoring skills, basic marketing and management techniques and their linkages were established with the local markets so that they can independently produce and market various products which are in demand in the local markets. Some of the products included shirts, traditional shalwar qameez (local dress) and knickers for children. Participants also refined their skills to do embroidery work on bed sheets, table spreads, pillow and sofa covers, floor cushions, blankets, woolen rugs (Numdas), shawls, and a variety of other items.

The women enrolled in LLCs had gone through the biggest tragedy of their lives. They were traumatized, vulnerable, without support or source of livelihood. Through the accelerated literacy and livelihood course, they not only successfully learned to read, write, basic arithmetic skills, as well as equipped themselves with vocational skills in tailoring and embroidery, but also gained confidence, started to believe in themselves and a started perusing a future much better than their present.