LSO Sohni Dharti’s Product Centre in Gharo

Khursheeda at the LSO Sohni Dharti’s office in Gharo

A key highlight of our Institutional Development – ID program has been the growing self confidence and empowerment of the local communities. IET facilitated in development of the community based organizations including Local Support Organizations-LSO’s.

Khursheeda Iqbal was inspired through social mobilization to participate and become an elected member in the Local Support Organization in early 2013 and became the Chairperson of LSO- Sohni Dharti a registered oragnization in UC, Gharo. This dynamic lady a mother of three, is fully committed to improving her community children’s education and providing women entrepreneurs with the necessary skills to run their businesses.

Khursheeda Iqbal was herself a beneficiary of IET, and received 3 electric sewing machines in 2010. She began a small tailoring centre from her own house involving local women. She trained 15 girls, 5 of whom are now running their own business making clothes. She increased her business with an addition of 3 more sewing machines and increased training to include 15 girls. Following the election to the LSO, Khursheeda undertook trainings for office bearers of LSO’s including Linkages Trainings. Armed with this new knowledge Khursheeda approached the local government and requested the reopening of vacant vocational centre in Gharo so she could move her team of women to a bigger and better premises. The production centre now employs fifty women and each women is given a standardized rate for pieces stitched. Khursheeda has recently confirmed a contract with a local school to make their uniform. All programs are under supervision of IET.

The women’s community hall that Khursheeda has rehabilitated through her LSO

Khursheeda is fondly known in her mohalla (neighborhood) as NGO Auntie. This is due to her efforts to get her own neighborhood cleaned up. Fed up with the lack of hygiene and cleanliness due to negligence of the government organizations responsible, Khursheeda mobilized the neighborhood and protested the apathy. Her efforts bore fruit and the government departments responded by regularly carrying out their duties. The Civil Rights trainings that were part of ID program helped Khursheeda in demanding and getting the rights not only for herself but the entire neighborhood. Her current project is the improving the delivery of schools in her neighborhood. She has engaged the education department in carrying our surprise checks on schools to ensure teachers presence and quality delivery.