Training 1,500 Women Entrepreneurs in Pakistan

Moqah Foundation’s Enterprise Development Training Program has made substantial progress since its inception. The diverse range of participants includes women from different age groups, backgrounds, and socio-economic statuses. Our last two trainings were conducted for Afghan refugee women. Collaborations with Alternativ Global Entrepreneurs and APWEE have enabled Moqah Foundation to facilitate participants to understand how to improve employability skills, be knowledgeable on how to become a successful entrepreneur and manage their businesses and develop understanding on market and business plan.

Our recent survey analysis proves that our participants have shown remarkable progress in acquiring new skills. Through entrepreneurship workshops and financial literacy training, some participants have initiated small businesses or income-generating activities.The program remains committed to its goal of fostering self-reliant, confident, and empowered women.

One participant in our training, turned her passion for baking into a successful business. Equipped with the knowledge gained from our program, she has started her own bakery and is catering to the local community. Lately she has received an order for an event.

Another participant is selling everyday use products from home, mostly snacks and treats. She told us that running a shop from home offers her flexibility to manage both work and personal responsibilities.

These success stories exemplify the transformative impact of the Women Empowerment Training Program by Moqah Foundation Beyond acquiring skills, the program has empowered these women to break barriers, overcome challenges, and create businesses. These entrepreneurs are not only contributing to their own economic well-being but are also inspiring others in their communities to pursue their dreams, who have enrolled themselves for next upcoming trainings

Plans are underway to expand the program's reach to additional regions, with a focus on rural areas and marginalized communities. Strategic partnerships and fundraising initiatives are being explored for scaling the program.

We are grateful to our donors for their support that enables us to provide vital services to those in need and make a positive difference in our community

The Taliban takeover of Afghanistan in August 2021 forced more than 300,000 Afghans including women and children, to take shelter in Pakistan. Beyond Taliban oppression, Afghan women face long-term sociocultural factors that restrict their access to education, work, and social services. Lack of rights, personal and family reasons, economic reasons, curtailed freedom of movement, barriers to women’s and girl’s health and education forced them to leave their country.

Moqah Foundation is aware of the fact that all refugees are disadvantaged, some refugees, particularly refugee women, encounter more significant difficulties than others in creating the lives that they desire.  They have restricted access to the formal labour market and limited political-legal rights in the host country. Hence there is a stronger focus on starting businesses and engaging in self-employment.

Moqah Team conducted a survey in the neighboring refugee community to identify the target training audience. After identifying a group of keen learners and in collaboration with APWEE, a 5-day enterprise development training workshop was organized to empower Afghan refugee women with the skills and knowledge needed to start and sustain their businesses. Starting with a thorough needs assessment to understand the specific needs and aspirations of the refugee women, factors such as their educational backgrounds, skills, language proficiency, and cultural sensitivities were taken into consideration. Since most of the participants were Persian speaking, a facilitator who could speak their native language was recruited. Life skills, such as communication, problem-solving, time management, and self-confidence building were included to help these women navigate daily challenges effectively.

Some participants expressed aspirations of opening their shops, beauty salons and grocery stores  

The organization will be assisting them with starting small businesses and connecting with local entrepreneurial resources, at the same time connecting refugee women with experienced mentors or successful refugee entrepreneurs who can provide guidance, share their experiences, and serve as role models.

We will be implementing a system to track the progress of participants and measure the impact of the training program over time. All this is only possible with the generous support of our donors who help us make the community a great place to live. Special thanks to APWEE for partnering with us and for their confidence in our work.