ISLAMABAD: Zindigi – Powered by JS Bank, The King’s Trust International, and the Pakistan Alliance for Girls Education (PAGE) have extended their efforts to empower young girls in Pakistan by signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to launch an expanded phase of “The Achieve Programme.” Achieve is a social and emotional learning Programme that aims to provide young girls in Pakistan with core life skills such as confidence, communication, problem solving and emotional resilience.
Building on the success of its initial pilot in 2023, the Pakistan chapter of “The Achieve Programme” has already empowered over 100 underserved girls from three schools in Islamabad and Swat. This next phase aims to broaden its impact, reaching out to an additional 200 young girls.
Speaking at the event, Asma Anwar, Head of CE, People & Culture at Zindigi, stated, “We are delighted to strengthen our collaboration with The King’s Trust International and PAGE Pakistan. This initiative aligns deeply with our mission to empower the youth of Pakistan, and we believe it will create a sustainable model that equips young girls with the education and skills they need to succeed.”
Fajer Rabia Pasha, CEO & MD of PAGE, added, “We are excited to bring the Achieve Programme to even more adolescent girls from marginalized backgrounds. With a concerning dropout rate of 10.5% for girls by grade 9, the need for such initiatives is critical. Our ongoing partnership with Zindigi and The King’s Trust International is expanding the opportunities available to these girls, ensuring they stay on the path to success and grow into the leaders of tomorrow.”
Wasim Malik, Head of Programmes – Asia and Middle East at The King’s Trust International, commented:
“Launched with the support of Zindigi in early 2023, the Achieve pilot project has not only been successful in supporting young girls to (re)engage with the formal education, but it has also improved and equipped them with life skills. Out of those participants who were surveyed, 97% felt more comfortable in working with others, which promotes the essential life skill of teamwork. All the respondents felt an increase in their self-confidence, and strongly agreed that participating in Achieve has increased their willingness to attend school more regularly. Teachers reported a positive change in their teaching style.”
“On furthering their support, I express the deep appreciation of The King’s Trust International to the leadership of Zindigi – powered by JS Bank and our delivery partner organization, Pakistan Alliance for Girls Education. It is highly commendable to see the commitment which Zindigi and JS Bank are showing towards helping young girls to succeed in their education and careers. We see Zindigi, JS bank and Pakistan Alliance for Girls Education as steadfast long-term partners to expand and develop the programme to empower more girls across Pakistan,” added Wasim.
The extension of “The Achieve Programme” reflects Zindigi’s ongoing commitment to fostering entrepreneurship among Pakistan’s youth, with a particular focus on empowering young girls. By equipping them with essential skills and support, Zindigi is helping to cultivate the next generation of entrepreneurs, laying the foundation for their future financial success.
