American NGO announces visitor programme for Pakistani women entrepreneurs

The initiative will facilitate aspiring women entrepreneurs by launching micro-finance funds

Owais Qarni March 02, 2020

The initiative will facilitate aspiring women entrepreneurs by launching micro-finance funds. PHOTO: FACEBOOK/NCWE

WASHINGTON: National Center for Women Entrepreneurship (NCWE), a non-profit organisation in the United States, has announced launching a scheme to facilitate aspiring Pakistani women entrepreneurs through micro-finance funds.

The International Women Entrepreneur Visitor Program for Pakistan initiative is being launched in connection with the Women’s Day celebrated worldwide on March 8.

In this regard, a ceremony will be organised in Washington, in which NCEW US Director Shirley Supik, and Uzma Raja, the country head of Pakistan chapter, will ink the memorandum of understanding on March 7.

“The programme is being offered to all those women who belong to emerging economies and Pakistan is one of them,” Supik told The Express Tribune on Monday, adding that initial target of $50 million has been set for the micro-lending fund.

The aim of this program is raising ‘strong women for strong world’, she maintained.

Uzma Raja, signatory from Pakistan, said that young women from Pakistan would travel to the US in order to receive their formal training under this programme.

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“Pakistani women are second to none... they just need adequate opportunities and platforms to showcase their skills,” Raja underscored.

Pakistani women, she said, will have a chance to interact and learn from their counterparts participating in the program from around the world.

“Women around the globe have been facing similar problems from low wages to lack of educational, employment and health facilities... shared problems require shared solutions,” she added.

NCWE US official Mona Shahab said participants from Women Chamber of Commerce Pakistan will be invited to the US in August to work as a bridge between Washington and Islamabad in order to facilitate Pakistani entrepreneurs by promoting their products.

“This will not only increase exports from Pakistan but also improve image of Pakistani women around the globe,” she said, adding that Uzma Raja will leave for Pakistan on March 8, after signing of MoU, to meet various stakeholders in this regard.