ISLAMABAD, Dec 15 (APP): Pak-Turkey agreed to enhance bilateral collaboration for women empowerment, poverty reduction, skills development and sharing of best practices.
In a meeting of Chairperson of Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) Marvi Memon and Turkish Minister for Family and Social Policies Dr. Sema Ramazanoglu, Turkish minister was briefed about the functioning of BISP.
The Chairperson apprised that BISP is making efforts to establish ‘Sisters in Success’ model whereby women, who have established themselves as successful entrepreneurs at international and national levels, will share their key messages with poor women for inspiration.
Terming the brotherly relationship between the people and leadership of Pakistan and Turkey at its peak, Marvi Memon said that inspirational messages from Turkish women entrepreneurs will register very well with Pakistani women and this could be an important starting point for mutual collaboration, she added.
Marvi Memon added that it is acknowledged as one of the top five social safety net programmes worldwide and is globally appreciated for its transparency and use of technology, says a press release received from Embassy of Pakistan Ankara, Turkey.
She said 5.2 million women are enrolled in this programme who are given national identity cards and they get quarterly stipend through banks via ATM card.
This way, these women are not only economically empowered, but are also politically strengthened as provision of national identity card, and right to vote in deprived and less developed areas.
Marvi also updated the Turkish Minister about school education programme of BISP whereby one million additional children shall be in school soon through conditional cash transfer to mothers for sending their children to school.
She also shared BISP exit strategy for addressing poverty, which will be teaching the poor women technical and vocations skills and giving them interest free loans for self-employment.
Marvi suggested joint branding for the products made by the BISP beneficiaries. She proposed that the best designers of Turkey and Pakistan could collaborate to create brands for the products made by the poor BISP beneficiaries which will earn them decent living and help get them out of the poverty circle.
Turkish Minister Dr. Sema appreciated the idea of joint branding of the products made by the poor women. She said this could be a good strategy for their economic empowerment.
