Annual exhibition: Artisans display indigenous crafts, hope for better future

Rural women imparted training as part of skill development project.

ISLAMABAD:

Rural women’s handiwork is being showcased at a two-day exhibition that opened at the Women Welfare Development Centre here on Thursday. A total of 30 stalls displayed handmade clothes and home decorations made of porcelain and cosmetics. Along the side, there were stalls of Islamabad Capital Territory women police and computer lessons.

An initiative of the Ministry of Capital Administration and Development, the project aims to train women in rural and slum areas of the capital and promote their skills and products through such exhibitions.

Ministry of Capital Administration and Development Secretary Riffat Shaheen Ghazi lauded the hard work that went into preparing each product, adding that more needs to be done to boost the morale of such women. She noted that the exhibition was evidence of the womens’ progress.

“This is an eye-opener and one can see the potential of women in the cottage industry,” said Qazi. She underscored introducing similar pilot projects in the provinces to bring out talent and promote the industry. A deputy secretary will be deputed to overlook the project, said Ghazi.

Rabia Jehangir from Rural community Development Centre, said that approximately 250 to 300 women, mostly from slum areas, are enrolled in each centre. She added this gives the participants an opportunity to learn skills and then progress, by either training more girls or starting their own businesses.



Qaysumah Iqbal, from Vocational Centre for Females in Sohan, said that the programme was polishing skills of low-income women at a nominal fee. She added that the one-year diploma offers various courses that has helped women in setting up their businesses.

For some women, loans are given by the chief commissioner’s office and sewing kits have been donated to these women which has helped them to establish small beneficial businesses. However, most women have gone into stitching and designing.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 15^th, 2013.