Afghan refugees, Pakistani women to be empowered

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and NAMA Women Advancement Establishment of the United Arab Emirates collaborated efforts to empower marginalized Afghan refugee and Pakistani women through skill development in Quetta.

The UN refugee agency and NAMA, a Sharjah-based organization, will support semi-skilled refugee and Pakistani women artisans through an opportunity to polish their carpet-weaving skills and improve their income-generating capacity. The project is also supported by the IRTHI Contemporary Crafts Council, an affiliate of NAMA.

The project – being implemented by UNHCR’s partner Taraqee Foundation – will benefit 100 Afghan refugee and Pakistani women who will be trained and given monthly stipend to support their family while they are working.

Zephania Amuiri, the head of UNHCR’s sub-office in Quetta, hailed the efforts of NAMA for helping to empower women with an aim to showcasing their work at the international level.

“Such projects are imperative to enable women to improve their technical skills and boost their self-reliance,” he said. On Afghan refugees, he added that the project will enhance the prospects of refugees for sustainable reintegration upon their voluntary return to Afghanistan.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 30^th, 2020.