The literacy rate for women in Pakistan is officially 47%.
As a result of that, they lack opportunities and ignore their rights, which they never got to learn.
The lack of education results from gender discrimination in the first place and creates even more gender discrimination onwards.
As a key barrier to women's participation in the workforce, the lack of schooling and skills keep them from finding and even seeking out jobs. The vast majority of women who do paid work, remain confined to mostly informal activities with poor remuneration.
Therefore most women in Pakistan are dependent on their husbands and families. The harsh reality being, that widowed women are mostly left helpless and without perspective.
Our logo consists of an orange background. It is a warm colour which represents change and movement. It is the colour of creativity and joyful energy and symbolizes the foundation of our vision.
The pink emerging from within we associate with love, compassion and gentleness. It symoblizes emotional healing and represents femininity. Whilst we do build on movement, we want to highlight its tender core.
The patches of cloth tell stories of resilience and care. They symbolize repair, individuality and history. Each one is a mark of something mended, something loved enough to be saved. They are the art of imperfection and the beauty of continuity.
Last but not least - the jasmine flower, the national flower of Pakistan, symbolizes purity, innocence and beauty. It stands for the quiet strength of gentleness as it often blooms at night, evoking the unseen beauty thriving in silence.
It represents every woman of the country:
Radiant in her quiet power.
Welcome to our humble overview :)
Residing in Germany we are profoundly thankful to God Almighty, our loving family and friends who have provided immense support in establishing all our facilities in Pakistan.
We started out as "khud mukhtar" meaning self-sufficient. Starting this initiative, that was the main goal in mind for the women and girls participating. Then later we added "crafting futures", a name we chose, that evokes a sense of creativity and sustainability and hence links very well to our projects.
Through the art of craft and innovation women and girls are encouraged to shape a better tomorrow for themselves by themselves.
Thanking God Almighty we feel more than happy and honored to be able to bring this opportunity to those who are willing to make good use of it.
What we do
Our primary program is vocational training in garment tailoring. Women and girls are taught garment cutting, sewing and garment design by diploma holding instructors of that field.
The trainees are provided with a six-month program, which can be extended based on individual capabilities.
khud mukhtar started in Karbath, a village near Lahore, and has now extended to two other locations.
How did we bring this idea to life?
With the help of Ms. Syeda Shamsa Murtaza, a local in Karbath, a woman that is very dedicated to her work, we were able to open the first school in the home of a young diploma-holding sewing instructor.
We bought the equipment necessary to bring the "sewing school" to life and soon after the demand was so high, that we opened up two more locations. Four sets of classes á 15 trainees are currently learning.
A big accomplishment for us has been the location Heir, as the majority of women and girls taking part in the training are disabled. The instructor there is a social worker with experience in special education.
Cooperation with the Pakistan Girls Guide Association
All the locations are managed by Ms. Syeda Shamsa Murtaza. As a manager aiding in communication and ensuring a smooth process, she is of much value to us.
She has been a trainer with the Pakistan Girls Guide Association (PGGA) and still does it on a voluntary basis. Which is very fortunate as we have additionally been able to conduct weekly seminars on various topics for the trainees in cooperation with the PGGA.
Outlook
As most of the work happening in and around Karbath is out of our physical grasp, and we can only make so many trips to Pakistan to see and experience it for ourselves, we are planning cross-overs.
We aim to expand our number of contributors. As of now everything has been set up and is running on private donations by us, family and friends. We wish to bring khud mukhtar to many others, who are inspired by this project and want to take part in making a difference.
To do so, we will organise little "Meena Bazaar's", fundraising campaigns and simple fun get-togethers and hope to bring the trainees' creations to Germany and sell them, from which 100% of the money will go back to the trainees.
You want to contribute or have any questions? Reach out!
My life amounts to no more than one drop in a limitless ocean. Yet what is any ocean, but a multitude of drops?