A Training Center to Support 400 Women Every Year

A Centre of Hope for Women in Faisalabad

Azeem Christopher/ Project Leader

Since 1994, AWARD Pakistan has been empowering rural women from its head office in Dawood Nagar, Warispura, Faisalabad, a less-developed area where women and girls face socio-economic challenges due to limited education and skills. Most live in poverty, with restricted access to vocational institutions, often resorting to low-paid domestic work where they face harassment and exploitation. AWARD’s Women’s Resource Centre, supported by Kerk in Actie (Netherlands), serves as a safe hub for training and community programs, offering courses in stitching, beautification, computer literacy, mobile repairing, and bike riding. To date, 3,594 women, youth, and persons with disabilities have benefited, gaining skills to start businesses, secure employment, and break cycles of poverty. The centre promotes inter-faith harmony and fosters gender equality, confidence, and leadership.

In July–August 2025, AWARD trained 115 women and girls: 43 in beautification (20 now offering home-based services), 18 in stitching (10 working or starting businesses), 12 in computer literacy (5 securing freelance jobs), and 42 in bike riding (30 reporting increased mobility). Additionally, 200 community members participated in a Giving Tuesday Pakistan event promoting sustainability, and 30 schoolgirls attended a leadership workshop in Islamabad. Follow-up mentorship supported 50 beneficiaries, and 10 persons with disabilities received assistive devices. Of these, 45 women have started income-generating activities, enhancing household incomes and challenging gender norms.

We are grateful for the USD 6,087 donated by 30 donors, 2 monthly donors, and 2 fundraisers, enabling 390 girls to be trained in income-generating skills like make-up art, stitching, mobile repair, computer basics, and bike riding. These efforts have empowered women to achieve financial independence and improve their livelihoods.

With growing demand, AWARD urgently needs to expand the Women’s Resource Centre by constructing a residential hostel on the upper floor to accommodate women from distant rural areas. An additional USD 18,000 is required to develop this safe, affordable space, ensuring access for marginalised, school dropouts, and unskilled girls in Faisalabad. This will help AWARD achieve its goal of empowering 400 women and girls annually.

Out of the total project goal of $20,000, we still need $13,793 to fully fund the construction of this new training centre. We appeal to the GlobalGiving community to support this initiative, helping us create a lasting space where women gain the skills, dignity, and opportunities they deserve.