Female entrepreneurs exhibit at Eid Gala

Inaugurated on August 19, the exhibition will remain open till Chand Raat.

PESHAWAR:

Eid and shopping are two terms that go together. The ongoing two-week Eid Gala organised by the Women Business Development Centre (WBDC) has more than 30 stalls featuring jewellery, modern and traditional ready-made garments, handbags, decoration pieces, bed sheets and other items. All products are made by female entrepreneurs.

A visitor at the exhibition, Dr Ifat, applauded the exhibition and admired the efforts of WBDC for promoting the skills of the women of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P). She said that the prices of most items seem high but “are reasonable given the quality of the items”.

Another visitor, Ayesha, said, “Through this exhibition, women have proved that they are enterprising, talented and are at par with men in the field of business.”

The exhibition provides a variety of Eid items under one roof, be it bangles, dresses or household items, said Nighat, a customer. However she, too, said the prices of items are high.

A stall owner, Sahar, selling artificial jewellery at the exhibition, said she was “getting a good response from customers”.

WBDC Project Manager Nabeela Farman said the exhibition aimed at providing a platform to female entrepreneurs to showcase their skills and an opportunity to develop and promote their business.

She said that WBDC is playing a crucial role in the development of women business. Work on the capacity building and development of women entrepreneurs is currently underway through trainings, counselling, expo, seminars, workshops, and exposure visits, she added.

“If opportunities are provided to women they can astonish the world with their skills,” said Farman. She said that the centre will continue to hold such exhibitions in future.

Inaugurated on August 19, the exhibition has provided women an outlet to combine their and business skills. It  will remain open till Chand Raat.



Published in The Express Tribune, August 28^th, 2011.