Poverty, the perceived root cause of every problem in the society, has no doubts worse affects on human life.
Poverty not only destroys human beings physically but also morally. A poor can’t live with dignity, it eats its moral, social and culture values etc. Keeping in view of these facts, In October 1999 SACHET initiated its Poverty Alleviation & Income Generation program with the vision “ Economic and Social Empowerment of the disadvantaged with Gender perspectives ”as a support program by initiating Women Vision project in collaboration with Hawwa Women Associates in Islamabad.
SACHET Vocational Training Project
Training being a catalyst in the development and promotion of human, SACHET started by establishing Vocational Training Centers in 1999 and 2000 at Shahdra, Banigala, Pathargarh and Pinyali exclusively for women and girls. At these centers community women get three to six months months training of sewing cutting, stitching and preparation of decoration items along with marketing and management skills. During 2005 to 2007, SACHET established another twelve (12) vocational centers in Chakwal District and five (5) centers in District Mansehra. Currently we have two (02) permanent skill development centers at Pinyali and Gagri (District Rawalpindi and Islamabad). SACHET also arrange specialized training of art and craft products on a regular basis. These training not only enhance the existing skills of a person but also provide an opportunity to learn new skills.
Till 15 June 2022 a total number of 10,148 students received training in domestic tailoring and fabric cutting, art and craft Training at our Vocational Centers.
Employable Skills for Women in Beauty Care Industry
SACHET-Pakistan launched “Employable Skills for Females in Beauty Care Industry” project in January 2018 in collaboration with Punjab Skills Development Fund (PSDF) with objectives:
- To train women in demand-driven courses of the beauty-care industry.
- Empower women to become contributing members of the society by earning a respectable income for themselves and their families.
Under the project, a total of 220 women and girls were trained in two batches of six months each.
The training courses were free of cost along with stipend of Rs.1,500/- per month for each student. Furthermore, SACHET facilitated students by providing free of cost uniforms, bags, training material and pick & drop facility. Under first batch, students were trained at 3 different locations of SACHET Training Centers in Commercial Market, Rawalpindi, Japan Road, Gagri, and Kahuta Road District Rawalpindi. Trainees were awarded Certificates from Punjab Board of Technical Education after successful completion of assessment and examination.
On successful completion of this course, the trainees are able to:
- Independently work as professional beauty care expert.
- understand and practice beauty techniques, proper appearance, speech, social behavior etc. Understand the Makeup, facial, manicure, pedicure, body massage, hair coloring, styling and application of Hina etc.
- understand general principles of a balanced diet and nutrition.
- Identify safety precautions including safety practices, conditions upon which medical advice must be sought.
Skills for Market Linkage Project
In April 2018, SACHET-Pakistan in collaboration with Punjab Skill Development Fund (PSDF) launched the scheme “Skills for Market Linkage” in district Khanewal where 175 women were trained at three centers located in tehsil Mian Channu, Jahanian and Khanewal of District Khanewal in Multan Division. Training program included initial core skills training, business management module, project work followed by market linkages.
The main objective of this scheme “Skills for Market Linkage” is to provide demand-driven training to the rural women in garments sector (Adda Work and embroidery) and create structured market linkage opportunities enabling them for participation in economic activities.
“Skills for Market Linkage” project envisaged to achieve outcomes such as:
1) Businesses are set-up at village level to ensure market linkage with buyers.
2) Provision of tool-kits to ensure sustainable business outcomes.
3) Structured market linkage opportunities for rural females so they have sustainable income streams even after the program concludes.
SACHET Gallery promoted the indigenous art and craft of emerging and mid career artists/artisans from all parts of Pakistan. Another uniqueness of the Gallery is that it periodically showcases the struggle of citizens sector through diverse media and artistic expressions. Since health is the main focus of SACHET, therefore Gallery offers an exclusive platform for organizations in public and private sector to display health communication material.
Events organized at Gallery:
• Screening of videos on social and political economy issues.
• Panel discussions on art, society and emerging development issues.
• Training workshops on art and craft
• Special evenings with unsung heroes as well as movers and shakers in the areas of art, literature, music, human rights and social activism.
So far the gallery has introduced and promoted more than 100(both males and females) artists/artisans from all over Pakistan.
Shop for a Cause
A unique concept shop launched in 2001 aimed to empower economically and socially, skilled but disadvantaged people specially women/girls and that too the victims and survivors of different forms of violence.
Shop for a Cause strategically operated towards building motivation among the sufferers and victims to change their position and condition. The critical target is to exclude the middle man, thus paving their way towards economic independence.
Shop for a Cause offered a marketing and sales outlet for the home grown thus exclusive products by the home based workers (women & men) in the capital city of Islamabad.
A proper agreement is signed. SACHET retains 20% (10% only if the skilled one is a special person) and remaining 80 or 90% as the case may be is paid to the consignor through a crossed cheque.
Proceeds from the sales of goods at the shop are utilized for buying medicines for SACHET Free clinics.
The project promoted products of more than 200 artisan representing Punjab, Sindh, KPK, Baluchistan, Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Jamu & Kashmir. Around 175 exhibitions were organized by Gallery where more than 23,000 visitors attended.
Handmade paper bags are the branded products of Shop for a Cause, which are made by the skilled women at SACHET Crafts centers in rural areas. Another unique feature of the Shop includes traditional but fading art work, embroideries and stitches of all kind made by the women from earthquake affected areas of NWFP, Hunza, Chitral, Sindh,Punjab & Baluchistan.