In Pakistan, 52%+ of our population consists of women and they are not effectively giving their output for the development of country due to various cultural and political reasons. Similarly there are certain minorities who are not integrated in the national socio-economic spheres. WLO has designed various programs for the integration of these groups and empowering them to be part of the national pool with dignity and honor.

Women are the most vulnerable in our society and they have many challenges besides raising a family. Some of the single mothers are in a chronic poverty circle with no hope. Even though in certain parts of Pakistan women are the primary bread winner, they do not have any facilities for credit or business advancement. WLO has given low or no interest rate credit. We have nearly 100% success on account receivables.

Since most of thewomen in the rural areas cannot operate a business freely on their own, WLO has provided tools for the women to acquire skills in fields like dressmaking, embroidery and making handicrafts in their own homes. We provide tools and facilities to help them reach the marketplace.

We formed a cooperative of skilled women in the UC 85 to promote their products to major fashion outlets. We have signed a contract with one major clothing designer from Lahore and are in negotiations with a group of other designers to promote the work of this cooperative.

“Educate a girl and you educate the whole village” goes the saying and we work to make this happen. We have worked to transfer some primary girl schools under the management of the World Bank sponsored program run by the NRSP. We are also in negotiations with Care to take over some other nonfunctional girl’s schools.

A program is underway in which master trainers train rural women in livestock and dairy management, cooperative farming, handicrafts and other economic growth areas. This is established in the UC.85 pilot project and will be expanded to other areas by the end of the year 2009.

WLO has helped to establish two private girl’s schools in the UC 85. This project has created fifteen direct jobs for females and also ten more part time secondary jobs for women.

Cattle Share is also one other major area in which WLO is concentrating. We believe female participation is key to the overall economic growth of the rural population.

With the help of National Agriculture Research Council (NARC), WLO has trained twenty master trainers to train women cattle owners for better cattle management and profitability and economic benefits through cattle rearing. These trainers were trained as the part of millennium development district program. These trainers will be working in Tehseel Burewala first and will expand their work to whole district by the end of year 2009.

WLO with the help of volunteer lawyers maintains a crises center for needy women. Ch. Atta Ullah Law Associates through the member lawyers provides free services to the center. This center helps the women who are abused or have problems that are gender related or due to other social or cultural problems. This center also does seminars to prevent violence against women and conduct trainings of women community workers to prevent violence against women in the rural areas.

Through Panacea project, WLO is forming women cooperatives in each village of the target UC. This cooperative will help the members to work against poverty and social problems.

The members will also be able to get credit at low interest rates for economic growth.

In Partnership with EU and Plan Pakistan, WLO is helping women to set up cooperatives for dairy value chain management and growth in 100 villages of the district Vehari. In this program women are trained in feed and fodder, breed management, cattle healthcare, dairy value addition and marketing and cooperative management. With this program, the women from 100 villages are running their cooperatives to generate funds for their families and the communities, increasing the dairy production in the target area over 20% and are getting economically independent.