Did you know that Pakistan ranks 145/146 on the Global Gender Gap Index?
This means that the women of Pakistan do not have better work opportunities, safe mass transit system, avenues to be financially independent or pay parity. While a major contributor to this crisis is lack of education, there are multiple social barriers as well.
One substantial way to counter this is to make women financially strong. Which is why the focus of CIRCLE Women Association is to provide digital literacy, financial literacy and entrepreneurial skills to low-income women.
By focusing on the digital literacy and internet safety for women, CIRCLE enables women to monetize their skills, gain confidence and become part of the economy.
Currently only 13% of Pakistani women have access to the internet and less than 50% own a mobile phone*. CIRCLE’s Founder and CEO, Sadaffe Abid, believes that access to the internet and basic digital literacy in this day and age is a fundamental human right. During the pandemic, she designed a high impact Digital Literacy Program with support of UN Women to bridge the digital gender divide in Pakistan.
Today, through the Digital Literacy Program and other projects, CIRCLE has trained more than 7,000 women (directly impacting 250,000+ family members), opened around 5,000 mobile wallets, 750+ microbusinesses and has impacted women in more than 80 cities.
While Pakistan continues to face pressing challenges, CIRCLE’s 2023 goals include reaching 15,000 women directly and develop 50 Digital Agents from within the community who will empower low income women in their area. These Digital Agents will also consist of male allies to build sensitivity for our mission in the masses.
CIRCLE has built a network of local and global partners such as UN Women, L’Oreal Fund for Women, British Asian Trust and Unilever for championing the cause for building a tech-enabled future for women in Pakistan.
It is proven that when a woman is financially abled, she invests back in the health, nutrition and education of her family. Play your part in raising the capabilities of our women and in return raise the confidence of an entire generation.
*Source: GSMA Report 2021 – Addressing the Mobile Gender Gap in Pakistan
Facebook: www.facebook.com/circlewomen
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/circlewomen
Twitter: https://twitter.com/CIRCLEwomen_
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/circle-women/
Website: circlewomen.co