Rockflower partner, Community Services Program (CSP), Pakistan has completed the third round of the Pehran project, a Rockflower funded initiative providing employable skills to disadvantaged women in Kashmir, or who may already produce handmade crafts, but struggle to earn money. This 12 month project, broken into multiple cycles, recruits women who are interested in learning or improving upon a trade and supporting themselves financially. In this third round of students, CSP trained 24 women in embroidery, stitching, dressmaking, design and marketing. The goal of the project is to elevate the level of crafts that were produced so that the women could sell in-demand products, and have the knowledge to operate a business.
The rural women of Azad Jammu & Kashmir (AJ&K) actively participate in the production of Kashmiri arts and crafts, but face significant hurdles in maximizing a return on their efforts - for themselves as well as their families and communities. CSP’s team, led by Mr. Siddique Hussain, understands that providing women with the opportunity to learn a trade, and how to market that trade effectively will not only benefit them economically, but will also help to build self esteem, a sense of responsibility, teamwork and effective communication skills. Throughout the training, the group also held two sessions focused solely on life skills, led by board member, Dr. Shazia.
CSP is determined to train and support so many women that eventually, the Gurase Valley will have an established brand and reputation for its crafts. They have set up four training centers, led by graduates of the Pehran Project, to continue providing support and education.
The third round of training ended in July of 2021, and CSP has been closely following the graduates on their entrepreneurial journeys. The organization found from previous groups that many of the graduates still need support in tapping into the market as they work on starting their businesses. The benefit of having multiple rounds of graduates, is that they are able to teach and support each other given what they’ve learned in both the training and in their own business. Not only has CSP provided job skills, but they’ve created a community of women ready to support one another as they work toward their mission of creating a reputation for craftsmanship in their community.
