Category: Women Development

QUETTA, Jul 24 (APP):Advisor to the Chief Minister Balochistan for Women Development Dr.Rubaba khan Buledi in a meeting with representatives from DOCH Pvt Limited, discussed several pivotal projects aimed at fostering women’s empowerment and economic participation in the province.

During the meeting, Dr. Rubaba Khan Buledi expressed support for “Meri Pehchan Project,” which aims to provide women in Balochistan with a distinct identity and recognition, said a press release.

“The Meri Pehchan Project is a vital initiative that resonates deeply with our mission to uplift women in Balochistan,” said Dr. Rubaba Khan Buledi. “Our government is dedicated to supporting such projects that empower women and grant them the recognition they deserve.”

Another significant topic of discussion was the activation and establishment of Women Chambers of Commerce at both provincial and district levels. Dr. Buledi emphasized that establishing Women Chambers of Commerce will create robust platforms for women to engage in business activities, share resources, and support each other’s entrepreneurial efforts.

The conversation also focused on enhancing training programs for women, particularly in the Naseerabad district. Dr. Buledi stressed the importance of equipping women with essential skills to enable them to make significant contributions to their communities and the broader economy.

“Investing in the training and development of women, especially in districts like Naseerabad, is crucial for our socio-economic progress,” she emphasized. “Empowering women with essential skills not only benefits them individually but also strengthens our entire society.”

Source: Associated Press of Pakistan

Pakistan Legal United Society (PLUS) and the Women Development Department (WDD) have jointly launched a Technical Skills Development Program at the Women’s Jail in Hyderabad. This initiative aims to provide women inmates with certified skills in graphic designing, fine arts, and calligraphy, aiding their rehabilitation and reintegration into society.   ShaheenaSher Ali and Munawar Ali Shah, DIG Prisons Hyderabad, attended the ceremony as chief guests.

Mrs. Rizwana Patel, the executive director, welcomed the guests and thanked the WDD and the Sindh government for their support. In her speech,  ShaheenaSher Ali emphasized the transformative impact of skill development on empowering women inmates and announced plans to expand the program to other districts in Sindh, including shelter homes and safe houses. DIG Prisons Hyderabad praised PLUS for initiating the certified courses, noting their potential to reduce crime rates and provide inmates with new opportunities post-release.  The ceremony also featured contributions from Sauood Khan, Assistant Commissioner Hyderabad, RizwanUllah Khan, Country Program Officer UNODC, AbidaAbbasi, Superintendent of the Women’s Jail, along with representatives from the bar association and civil society organizations.

In his closing remarks, AltafHussainKhoso, CEO of PLUS, reaffirmed the organization’s commitment to collaborating with the government and other stakeholders to promote societal betterment both inside and outside the jail.

Source: Pakistan Observer

SHANGLA: Chairperson of Benazir Income Support Programme Rubina Khalid has said a special initiative of skills training will be launched to empower women of the backward areas to help them earn a sustainable living.

Accompanied by BISP Khyber Pakhtunkhwa director general Zohra Aslam, Pakistan Peoples Party’s Hazara division women wing president Dr Shaista, Ms Khalid met the BISP beneficiaries here on Monday and inquired about the issues they are facing in getting the payments.

Talking to Dawn at the residence of former nazim of Bataira union council of Kolai-Pallas district, Hajid Amin in Bisham here, she said BISP aimed to support poor women economically.

“Education is the right of every boy and girl, and Kohistan people should let their girls to get education and become empowered and serve their country.

Ms Khalid said BISP programme was designed for the poor women, adding the scheme helped widows in Shangla to be enrolled for the cash programme. She said Benazir Nashounama Programme helped meet the nutritious needs of women and their children to improve health of mother and child as Pakistan had a high rate of malnutrition.

The BISP chairperson said under the Waseela Taleem project, BISP paid cash stipends to girls, so that the poverty-stricken people could send their daughters to schools and get them educated.

“We are going to re-launch Waseela Rozgar Programme, which was discontinued a few years ago, to equip youth with skills so that their lives improved.”

She added that Nashonuma and Waseela Rozgar initiatives would be implemented in Shangla and nearby remote districts, where poverty index was high.

The BISP chairperson also visited Bataira area of Kolai-Pallas and Pattan area of Lower Kohistan and urged the people to send their girls to school.

Source: DAWN

Balochistan Governor Jaffar Khan Mandukhail on Friday said that it was necessary for the government to devise a comprehensive strategy for the social and economic security of all women and to teach them modern skills in order to keep pace with latest world.

He expressed these views while talking to the women delegations of Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and Pakistan Muslim League-N (PML-N) called on him at Governor House Quetta. The PPP Kalat Division delegation was led by Rabia Khawajakhail and the PML-N delegation was led by Syeda Sajida.

The Governor said that seeing the increasing political and economic role of women, it was believed that the 21st century was the century of women because the 21st century has actually seen significant progress in achieving women’s rights and options in all areas of life.

He said today, all over the world, women are holding many important positions at the national and international level.

The Governor said that the women of Balochistan were very talented and sociable, in terms of skills, the women of other provinces of the country were not inferior in any way but due to lack of necessary facilities and proper opportunities, they could not excelled.

He said that it was gratifying that women were paving the way for future generations by breaking traditional concepts in science, technology and engineering.

In this regard, economic development is being promoted by the participation of women in human resources at the level of Balochistan, he noted.

The Governor made it clear that for economic independence, our women have to adopt non-traditional careers instead of traditional gender roles.

Regarding increasing the role of women in the construction and development of the society, he said that there was a need to conduct a campaign of public awareness to awaken the high dignity and greatness of women.

Governor Balochistan listened to the problems in a separate meeting of both the delegations and assured full support for the protection of women’s rights and solving the problems being faced by them in the areas.

Source: Associated Press of Pakistan

PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa health department has decided to include women in the management committees of primary and secondary healthcare facilities, insisting the initiative will promote transparency, efficiency and gender empowerment in decision-making processes regarding health services in the province.

“It was expedient to enhance the efficiency of healthcare facilities management, and to deliver healthcare services effectively, women should be included in primary health care committees and hospital management committees for the betterment of services,” reads a notification of the health department.

It added that there was a recognised need for enhancing focus on local issues, promoting transparency, and ensuring autonomy through increased community participation in decision-making for which women’s memberships in the management committees had been declared mandatory.

The notification also declared that it was imperative to improve decision-making processes by adopting a more inclusive and participatory approach, ensuring adequate representation of women in decision-making and adhering to international best practices for women’s empowerment.

“The competent authority has revised the composition of PCMCs and HMCs within primary and secondary healthcare facilities with immediate effect in the best public interest.”

The health department asked health facilities across the province to revise the structure of the committees by including women in primary and secondary level decision-making processes.

It added that those facilities had already been given guidelines regarding the operations of the committees and that the inclusion of women at the level of basic health units, rural health centres, civil hospitals and other hospitals was meant to resolve the problems of women in hospitals.

Meanwhile, the health officials told Dawn that granting representation to women in the management committees was also a demand of international organisations, especially the World Health Organisation and Unicef, to discuss the issues facing women in hospitals and seek their solutions.

They also said that the district health officers had been authorised to nominate women from within the community so that the hardships of women visitors to health outlets were highlighted and corrective steps taken.

The officials said that there was no representation of women in those management committees, which were tasked with managing the affairs of hospitals in a way that benefitted patients. They said that women’s participation in the decision-making process would help spotlight the problems of women visitors to the hospitals.

The officials said that they hoped that the revised committees would highlight the problems of women patients and recommend steps for improving health services in government hospitals.

They said that as per the notification, the committees would have lady health visitors, lady health supervisors, lady health workers and female medical technicians in the respective facilities or women community members to be nominated by the district health officers with the objective of promoting women’s health through participation in decision-making processes.

The officials said not only would the initiative improve women’s health but it would also strengthen children and neonatal health services at the primary and secondary level.

Source: Dawn