In the year 2000, SEF initiated a programme envisioning literacy leading to the empowerment of adult women. The Women’s Literacy and Empowerment Programme was initiated in the areas of Malir and Manchar Lake with an aim to provide learners with opportunities for basic literacy and skills, awareness of women’s rights and open spaces to collectively identify and address communal and individual issues. Under this programme, 42 Women’s Learning and Empowerment Centres have been established in addition to two vocational centres in Karachi and Sehwan.
OBJECTIVES: To help create an enabling environment for women which facilitates in the process of empowerment; to facilitate in capacity building of programme partners not only to ensure effective implementation of programme activities but also for greater ownership of the programme; to raise awareness regarding critical women issues at the community level; to establish and strengthen linkages with like-minded organisations, women-oriented initiatives and programme stakeholders for sharing of experiences, ideas and resources; to encourage mutual learning whereby women share and reflect on indigenous experiences, cultural values and the good practices of the communities in different areas (medicine, food, skills, customs child rearing, etc); to help women in learning multiple forms of literacy, especially in providing contextually relevant learning material on issues like health, indigenous practices and child rearing traditions to add to the repertoire of local teaching-learning resources.
