PESHAWAR:
To empower the displaced women of North Waziristan Agency living in Akram Durrani camp in Kurram Agency, an exhibition to sell their handmade crafts was held in University Town, Peshawar on Wednesday.
The event was organised by Centre of Excellence for Rural Development (CERD) to help the displaced women of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) to earn a livelihood while still residing in the camps.
“For the women of Fata, this is our 11th exhibition but we are doing it for the first time for the IDPs of North Waziristan,” the coordinator of the exhibition, Mehreen Asim, told The Express Tribune.
Asim said around 300 displaced women living in the camp made the items which were displayed. Talking about empowering women from the agency, Asim said a majority of the women who participated in the exhibition had come out of their houses for the first time. Since they are part of a strict patriarchal society, she added, the women are not allowed to work for a living. Asim said the members of her organisation had to face great difficulties to convince the male members of the families to allow women to work from the tents so that they could contribute to the household expenses.
She added the basic material for making the crafts was given by the centre to the women. The items on display included purses, dresses and embroidered upholstery products.
These were made using a tool derived from a plant called shrap. The profits from the exhibition will go to the women, said Asim.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 27th, 2014.
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