SOCIETY FOR APPRAISAL & WOMEN EMPOWERMENT IN RURAL AREAS (SAWERA), PAKISTAN

SAWERA strives to empower women in rural northwestern Pakistan through innovative projects that promote
literacy and employment opportunities, while also combating domestic violence.

THE CHALLENGE(S) THAT SAWERA IS ADDRESSING:

On July 4, 2012, Farida Afridi, a 25-year-old women’s rights activist and Co-founder of W4 Field Partner,
Society for Appraisal and Women Empowerment in Rural Areas (SAWERA), was murdered in the Taliban
bastion of Peshawar. The loss of such a courageous and committed individual is a tragedy, but W4 is proudly
supporting her legacy and the continued work of SAWERA.

The Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), in a remote and predominantly rural region of northwestern
Pakistan, are home to a number of different communities, many of whose members today live in fear both of
raids and attacks by Taliban militants and of deadly US drone strikes.

Sadly, poverty is an often unavoidable reality for many of the women in the FATA, owing to the prevalence of
poor sanitation, a lack of electricity, and limited access to clean water. Furthermore, fewer than one in ten
females over the age of 10 in the province can read and write, compared with over 20 per cent of its males,
and 40 per cent of the nation. In areas under Taliban control, much of the progress made over the past
decades has been erased as girls’ schools have been destroyed. Unsurprisingly, therefore, positive
employment opportunities for women are rare and extremely restrictive, meaning that very few are able to
pursue an economic livelihood.

It is not only a lack of education and employment that burdens the women of the FATA; the relatively low
number of local community organizations and the dominance of local male elites have meant that domestic
violence has continued unchallenged in many households. Sadly, local pro-women reform processes aimed
at addressing these issues have similarly been disrupted by the Taliban.

Enter Farida Afridi and the creation of SAWERA, a local, women-led grassroots NGO bravely fighting to
empower girls and women in the FATA. Despite the tragic loss of Farida, her legacy continues to grow and
the organization has already witnessed huge success in the fight for girls’ and women’s rights. Since its
foundation in 2004, 30 community-based women’s organizations have benefitted from ‘Leading Management
Skills’ and ‘Community Management Skills’, empowering them in local business ventures. Encouragingly,
even women living in the most acute poverty have been given grants to pay off debts and start businesses,
which has fundamentally equipped them with a chance of creating a brighter future for themselves and their
families.

Importantly, maternal healthcare has also been boosted by SAWERA, with health and hygiene kits already
distributed to over 6,000 women in the area, which, owing to its remoteness, has sparse medical facilities.

The help offered by W4’s field partner is, crucially, intended to be sustainable. SAWERA recently helped found
the Takrah Qabayali Khwende (TQK), a forum that engages individuals, civil society networks, unions,
academics, professionals, and business people, bringing many different groups together with the aim of
collectively achieving what Farida set out to do: empowering the women of the FATAs to create a positive and
dignified future for themselves and their families.

THE DIFFERENCE YOU CAN MAKE: THE IMPACT OF YOUR GIVING

Your gift makes a huge difference to the lives of girls and women in the FATA. You can give a FATA girl the
chance to go to school, protect her from a life-threatening disease, or help empower her to speak out against
domestic violence. Even the smallest donation can be life-changing.

YOU CAN BE A CHANGEMAKER!

You can also support W4 and SAWERA’s work by spreading the word about our vital initiatives—all aimed at
putting an end to illiteracy, poverty, and poor health among girls and women in northwestern Pakistan!

1st Floor. 17-C, Block A, Sindhi Muslim Cooperative Housing Society,

Karachi, Pakistan.
Phone: (00-92-21) 8585668
Fax: (00-92-21) 4381711
RELEVANT COUNTRY DATA:

Capital: Islamabad
Population: 176,745,400
GDP per capita: $2,369
Population living below $1.25 PPP per day: 22.6%
Adult literacy rate, both sexes (aged 15 and above): 55.5%
Infant mortality rate (probability of dying between birth and age 1 per 1000 live births): 57.4
Maternal mortality ratio (deaths of women per 100,000 live births): 260
Life expectancy at birth: 65.4 years

1st Floor. 17-C, Block A, Sindhi Muslim Cooperative Housing Society,

Karachi, Pakistan.
Phone: (00-92-21) 8585668
Fax: (00-92-21) 4381711

SAWERA ORGANIZATION FAISALABAD

DESCRIPTION

SAWERA Organization is a non-profit, non-governmental, non-political organization

based in Faisalabad-Punjab. It is an Urdu word means Morning. Faisalabad is Famous
for its textile industry, also called the Manchester of Pakistan.

SAWERA Organization was established in the year 2007, with the objectives of progressive approaches for
the undeveloped communities. It focuses to bring up the opportunities for the downtrodden communities,
where they could feel themselves strengthened.

Vision:
To empower the downtrodden communities for their equal place in the society and release them from the evil
of poverty, injustice and discrimination where all will have the access to the basic human rights.

Goal:
To contribute to a significant decline for the social status in the society.

Foundation’s Ethic:
Give to every human being every right that you claim for yourself.
"We believe in human Equality

CONTACT DETAILS
http://www.sawera.pk gill29@ymail.com saweraorganization@ymail.com

https://www.facebook.com/sawera.pk https://twitter.com/SAWERA2004

M: +92 3139 666 966 M: +92 3157 275 131

ADDRESS

Tezaab Mills Road Sawera House, St No.7, House No.3,

Mariamabad, Faisalabad Pakistan