Report from BHW Pakistan Partnership Facilitator Following Visit 

Key person:  Edward Qaser 

Recent Events

Early in 2017 the sewing programme in Kaliq Nager was shifted to the neighbouring community of Youhanabad 2. A number of the Christian people were relocated to this area and Edward felt he wanted to help them there. Many of the girls were being married young and they thought that this would give them some hope. 

The course began in March and will finish in December. There are 17 people on the course, five of them are school girls. One has done matric and is studying at a government college. 

Every time they meet they have devotions and prayer. This encourages the women as well. 

I visited in mid-October 2017. We spent a couple of hours with the people, had some songs, a drama and a dance which was fun. 

Personal Stories

I didn’t get the opportunity to get any stories. The programme was just concluding and I was about to interview some of the people involved in the training when someone ran in to tell everyone that one of the local boys, 17 years old, had been killed in a road accident. So, that was the end of it, pandemonium as people rushed about and left, leaving us there wondering what to do next. Of course, it involved another cup of tea!

Partnership's Influence within the Community

They are keen to carry this on in this community for at least another year. The girls here are particularly vulnerable to early marriages as the families are so poor they marry them off as quickly as they can. If a girl can become an income earner, it gives her much more chance of not being married early and staying in school. 

Ideas for the Future

They want to do at least one more course in this community and after that they will assess it. However, there are other places they want to take the programme in the future. 

Current Issues and Challenges

The local mindsets that place little value on women and even less on women who want to learn something. 

The poverty that is so pervasive in the community. They really are very poor. 

Prayer and Praise Points

1) The good number of women in the course and the way they have stuck to their training.
2) The sense of camaraderie and support that exists within the group. You can sense it and it’s very observable in the way they interact.
3) That there are others in the village who want to learn. Some of them came to the meeting. 

Comments

I think this has ongoing value and the teacher certainly wants to run it again. I would suggest we do that and review it after one more year.