EWG project empowers over one million women and girls across Pakistan

ISLAMABAD, Jul 09 (APP): The Society for the Protection of the Rights of the Child (SPARC), in collaboration with the Commonwealth of Learning (COL) and Bedari, with the support of Global Affairs Canada (GAC), Thursday concluded the three-year Empowering Women and Girls (EWG) Project, which reached more than one million women and girls through education, vocational training, awareness campaigns and community engagement initiatives across Pakistan.

The project completion ceremony brought together policymakers, government officials, development partners, civil society organizations, academia, journalists, community leaders and project beneficiaries to celebrate the project’s achievements, reflect on key lessons learned and reaffirm a shared commitment to advancing gender equality and empowering women and girls across the country.

Parliamentary Secretary for Communications Engineer Gul Asghar Khan Baghoor commended the project’s significant achievements, highlighting its tangible and lasting impact in the districts where it was implemented.

He praised the collaborative efforts of the project partners in expanding access to education, strengthening livelihoods and advancing gender equality at the community level.

Reaffirming his support for women’s empowerment, he stressed the importance of sustaining such initiatives to promote inclusive development and create greater opportunities for women and girls across Pakistan.

Member of the National Assembly Dr. Shazia Sobia Aslam Soomro appreciated the creativity, resilience and entrepreneurial potential demonstrated by women beneficiaries during the exhibition showcase. She expressed her commitment to facilitating a similar exhibition at Parliament House to provide women entrepreneurs with a broader platform to showcase their products, connect with wider audiences and expand their businesses.

She also reaffirmed her support for initiatives promoting women’s economic empowerment and creating sustainable opportunities for their growth and development.

Chairperson of the National Commission on the Status of Women (NCSW), Ms. Noureen Bano Lehri, appreciated the EWG Project for its holistic and community-driven approach to advancing the rights and empowerment of women and girls.

She emphasized the importance of integrating the project’s successful models and best practices into national policies and institutional frameworks to ensure their sustainability and expand their impact across Pakistan. She also reaffirmed the commission’s commitment to supporting initiatives that promote gender equality and women’s empowerment.

Representing Global Affairs Canada, Ms. Sasha Oliveira commended the achievements of the project over the past three years, saying the partnership between Global Affairs Canada, the Commonwealth of Learning, SPARC and Bedari had expanded educational opportunities, strengthened livelihoods, promoted gender equality and advanced the rights of women and girls in Pakistan. She said sustainable development is driven by empowering local organizations to lead community-based solutions and reaffirmed Canada’s commitment to supporting initiatives that create lasting opportunities for women and girls.

Senior Adviser of the Empowering Women and Girls Project at the Commonwealth of Learning, Ms. Frances Ferreira, said the initiative was driven by a shared commitment to advancing the rights, education and economic empowerment of women and girls.

She appreciated the collaboration among the Commonwealth of Learning, Global Affairs Canada, SPARC, Bedari and local stakeholders, noting that the project’s community-centred approach had empowered women and girls while generating lasting positive impacts for families, communities and society.

SPARC Executive Director Ms. Asiya Arif Khan highlighted the transformative impact of the project in creating opportunities for women and girls through education, skills development and community engagement.

She said the project’s success reflected the power of strong partnerships and collective action in addressing barriers to equality and creating sustainable pathways for empowerment.

Bedari Executive Director Ms. Anbreen Ajaib commended the collaboration among the project partners, saying the success of the initiative reflected their shared commitment to advancing opportunities for women and girls. She emphasized that strong community partnerships and locally driven interventions had established a solid foundation for sustainable and long-term change.

SPARC Programme Manager Ms. Sabeen Almas shared that more than 10,000 girls and boys were reintegrated into formal education and open schooling pathways, while over 77,000 women and girls received vocational and labour market skills training to strengthen their economic independence.

She said the project also 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.

Member of the National Assembly Ms. Huma Akhtar Chughtai, District Task Force members, Dr. Zahid Majeed, Director International Collaboration and Academic Planning at Allama Iqbal Open University (AIOU), and Ms. Komal Ijaz, Assistant Director of Shelter Home, Multan, also addressed the ceremony. They highlighted the positive changes witnessed at the grassroots level, particularly in raising awareness, promoting girls’ education and enhancing women’s participation in community development through sustained engagement with local stakeholders.