Socio-cultural Barriers and Role of NGOS Affecting Women

Empowerment in Rural Areas of Baluchistan

(SEHER FOUNDATION)
Objective.4. to ascertain the role of non-governmental organizations in the field of
improving rural womens empowerment be enhanced in rural areas of
Baluchistan.
Q.1. Name of the NGO worker and designation

Q.2. Name of the projects for women empowerment in Baluchistan.

1. BEP (Baluchistan Education Program)
2. GBV-HIV/AIDS (For women, child and men)
3. HRF (Human Right Fund)
4. ESWB (Economic Security for Women in Baluchistan)
5. IMNCH (Integrated Maternal Newborn Child Health)

Q.3. Are you contact or access by people without any restrictions?

In rural areas of Baluchistan, NGOs are facing many barriers during fieldwork such as
security issues, tribal conflict and male dominancy. Due to male dominancy, we cannot
contact women directly; first, we convince the male members after that we can talk with their
women. Most of the tribes are not favor NGOs work for women empowerment.
Q.4. On what aspects of women empowerment your NGO is working.
Our NGO is working on the following aspects of women empowerment; Provide education
facilities to rural women (social empowerment). Health empowerment (Provide HIV AIDS
treatment both children and women, basic care to the newborn children and women during
pregnancy) and working on economic empowerment of women.
Q.5. What services are given to women for their social empowerment?
In the context of social empowerment of women, Our NGO is providing education facilities
to rural women because due to education they know about their rights. According to the
annual reports, 0f 2014 one hundred schools were established with the collaboration of save
the children.
Q.6. Are the above services provided to rural women under the NGO easily accessible?
Services, which are provided by our NGO, are easily accessible to women. If any barrier is
existed, it is not NGO side, it existed from the tribal culture, tribal head and after dialogue
they allow their women to access these services.
Q.7. For economic empowerment of the rural women, what services are given by your
NGO?

For the economic empowerment of the rural women, our NGO is running a project named as
ESWB (Economic Security for Women in Baluchistan). Main focus of this project is the
enhancement of womens skills and livelihood. According to the annual report 2014, nearly
1800 women benefited from this project.
Q. 8. Did you provide any skill development trainings to women for their empowerment
during the last three years?
Yes, our NGO had and is providing skill development trainings to rural women for economic
empowerment. According to the annual report of 2014, from these trainings 1600 women
were trained on livelihood skills and certified from Trade Testing Board Baluchistan.
Q.9. Any health services are provided by your NGO in to rural women?
Our NGO is also providing health facilities to rural women during pregnancy and basic health
care to newborn baby. According to the annual report of 2014, Baluchistan province has
particularly poor maternal and infant health outcomes. Women living in Baluchistan rural
areas are at double the risk of dying of maternal causes than women living in urban areas a
maternal mortality rate of 319 and 175 deaths per 100,000 live births respectively. To some
extent due to the work of our ngo, improvements have been occurred.
Q.10. How would you view the health facilities being provided by your NGO?
To provide health facilities is the responsibility of the government because it is a basic right.
Health facilities provided by our ngo is not enough, it requires more work. Because according
to the annual report of 2014, The MNH system is also weak, suffering from poor governance
in terms of inadequate information and accountability systems, weak linkages and integration
between institutions, poor management capacity within decentralized institutions and poor
human resource management.
Q.11. How would you rate the effect of services provided by your NGO to women on
decision making at household level?
Services providing by our ngo have great impact on decision making at household level.
Education is the most important need of rural Baluchistan women. When they educate, they
can know their rights, enhance their productive skills and can economically empower
themselves to get a job or other technical work. At present, in rural areas of Baluchistan,
womens have no decision making rights due to patriarchy society. Our project Economic
security for Baluchistan women are playing very important role in the enhancement of
decision-making power at household level.
Q.12. What type of services is provided by your NGO to women for political
empowerment?
We have no project on political empowerment of the women but one project HRF (Human
rights funds) which focus on the rights of minorities in the urban and rural areas of
Baluchistan. According to the annual reports 2014, all minorities should be given all political,
social, cultural and religious rights without defacto and dejure discrimination at all levels.

Q. 13. How would you rate the participatory approach followed by NGOS as a tool
for the empowerment of rural women?
Participatory approach is very helpful in the effective implementation of any program
because in which all indigenous stakeholders participate. In women empowerment, it is very
helpful because without their participation, we cannot understand their conditions and
problems, which are hurdle in their empowerment. My opinion is that a female ngo worker
should approach women because a female can better understand a female situation had better
than man can.

Q.14. What would you suggest to further improve the services provided by NGOS for
women empowerment?
Provide technical and vocational education for economic empowerment, should given the
right of vote cast, contest election, resolve law and order problems, should provide equal
opportunity for job and in rural areas of Baluchistan should provide basic health facilities for
women during pregnancy.