Islamabad, July 9, 2026: The Society for the Protection of the Rights of the Child (SPARC), in collaboration with the Commonwealth of Learning (COL) and Bedari, with the support of Global Affairs Canada (GAC), concluded the three year Empowering Women & Girls (EWG) Project at a ceremony in Islamabad.
The event brought together policymakers, government officials, development partners, civil society organizations, academia, journalists, community leaders and project beneficiaries to mark the project’s completion and reflect on its key lessons and achievements.
Engineer Gul Asghar Khan Baghoor, Parliamentary Secretary Ministry of Communication, praised the project’s impact in expanding access to education, strengthening livelihoods and advancing gender equality at the community level. Dr. Shazia Sobia Aslam Soomro appreciated the creativity and entrepreneurial potential shown by women beneficiaries during the exhibition showcase and said she would support a similar exhibition at Parliament House.
Ms. Noureen Bano Lehri said the EWG Project offered a holistic and community driven model for advancing the rights and empowerment of women and girls, while Ms. Sasha Oliveira noted that the partnership between GAC, COL, SPARC and Bedari had helped expand educational opportunities and strengthen livelihoods in Pakistan.
Ms. Frances Ferreira, Senior Adviser for the EWG Project at COL, said the initiative was guided by a shared commitment to the rights, education and economic empowerment of women and girls. SPARC Executive Director Asiya Arif Khan said the project created opportunities through education, skills development and community engagement, while Bedari Executive Director Anbreen Ajaib highlighted the importance of strong community partnerships for sustainable change.
Ms. Sabeen Almas, Program Manager at SPARC, said more than 10,000 girls and boys were reintegrated into formal education and open schooling pathways, over 77,000 women and girls received vocational and labour market skills training, more than 465,000 women and girls took part in awareness sessions on human rights and gender equality, and over one million people were reached through public campaigns.
Ms. Huma Akhtar Chughtai, Member of the National Assembly, Mr. Ghazanfar Budhal, District Task Force members, Dr. Zahid Majeed of Allama Iqbal Open University, and Ms. Komal Ijaz of the Shelter Home, Multan, also addressed the gathering and spoke about the positive changes seen at the grassroots level.
