Lok Virsa, Islamabad – Shirakat – Partnership for Development hosted an event titled Consultative Workshop on Strategies for Empowerment and the Way Forward. That event provided an opportunity to discuss the key findings, lessons learned, and strategic recommendations from Shirakat’sChangemakers Project. The initiative, aimed at addressing child early and forced marriages (CEFM), gender-based violence (GBV), and youth empowerment, also celebrated women micro-entrepreneurs by offering them a platform to showcase their innovative business ideas. Over 50 stalls displayed products by women entrepreneurs. Shirakat—Partnership for Development is a local Pakistani nonprofit organization has been focusing on gender justice, economic justice and climate justice. Since 2012, it has consistently worked on prevention of gender based violence in Pakistan. It has directly engaged with over 70 thousand community members as well as duty bearers. Its media campaign on GBV prevention reached 2 million people with over 28,000 responses on social media. This event is in continuation of Shirakat efforts on GBV prevention and empowerment of women. The event began with a recitation of the Holy Quran by a community activist Ms. AbidaMajeed from UC 78, Rehmatabad, Rawalpindi.followed by the national anthem performed by a physically disabled Guitarist Mr. AsadRaza from NowPDP. The Executive Director of Shirakat, Ms. BilquisTahira, welcomed the participants and shared Shirakat’s work on Gender-Based Violence prevention initiatives. She then highlighted the linkages between local to global national and international commitments on women’s right to protection from violence e.g in the Constitution of Pakistan as well as international such as CEDAW, UDHR and others. The Shirakat team provided an overview of the Changemakers Project, which has successfully engaged 393 youth from Lahore and Rawalpindi. The project focuses on raising awareness and preventing child, early, and forced marriages while promoting gender equality. A key outcome of the project has been the formation of 29 Community-Based Organizations (CBOs), enabling youth to organize and sustain their advocacy efforts at the grassroots level. The initiative has increased community awareness and empowered youth as change agents. A compelling video was showcased during the event, featuring five inspiring youth changemakers sharing their experiences and achievements resulting from their participation in the project. Ms. Amna, a youth leader from Sahang, spoke about her challenges and emphasized the critical importance of girls’ education. Ms. Rameen Zahra, from Rawalpindi, shared her personal struggles, while Ms. Laiba, from Lahore, highlighted her journey of delaying marriage to continue her education. Ms. Emaan Zahra underscored the significance of financial independence for girls, and Ms. SyedaHuma, from Rama, discussed effective communication and the importance of financial literacy for young women. This was followed by the keynote address from Ex-Ambassador Sir ShaukatMukadam, who spoke passionately about the importance of children’s rights and women’s empowerment in building a more equitable society. He said that almost half of the population of Pakistan consists of women so there should be more opportunity for them to realize their potential. There should be more safety for women at workplace and public spaces. As father of Noor Mukadam – the girl who succumbed to gender based violence, he asked for the legal penalty for violence. At the end he appreciated Shirakat’s work for women’s and children’s right. One of the highlights of the event was a role play titled “Breaking the Chains of Silence”, performed by young amateur artists from DhokKhabba including Ms. Aimen, Ms. Kashaf, Ms. Rizwana, Mr. Usman, Mr. UsmanMehmood and Mr. Mazhar. This thought-provoking performance depicted the negative consequences of child marriages and emphasized the importance of education for girls. Personal stories of empowerment were also shared by participants. Sana from ShahzadaPind recounted how the project transformed her life. Arzu from Kahna Nau spoke about her journey of self-reliance and entrepreneurship. Emaan from Dultala shared how she convinced her father, with her mother’s support, to delay her marriage, and how she now runs a computer and stitching academy for underprivileged girls in her community. Zain ul Abdeen, another youth changemaker, shared how his group’s advocacy efforts led to upgrading a local government school from primary to middle school, improving access to education for girls in the area. The event concluded with the closing remarks of the Resident Director, Mr. KhurramRaza Hassan. He highlighted the critical importance of father’s role in nurturing the children and imparting to them fundamental values of respecting human rights. Thus decreasing the probability of children becoming violent. Shirakat remains steadfast in its mission to promote gender equality and women’s empowerment through its transformative initiatives. The Changemakers Project continues to inspire hope, create opportunities, and pave the way for a brighter future for youth and women in Pakistan.
