Pakistan and UN stitch in time to empower Afghan refugees

UNHCR representative says all trainees will be provided toolkits or sewing machines so that they can work after the training ends. (AN Photo)

UNHCR Representative in Pakistan, Ms. Ruvendrini Menikdiwela, is inaugurating “training center for embroidery, tailoring and jewelry marking,” at Sohrab Goth Karachi here on Monday. (AN Photo)

Flanked by other officials of UNHCR, the Representative of UN Refugee agency in Pakistan, Ms. Ruvendrini Menikdiwela is speaking to media here at Sohrab Goth Karachi here on Monday. (AN Photo)

Huma Adnan, Founder of Craft Stories and Fnkasia, says high-quality products will be produced so that Afghan refugee women may earn money for their work. (AN Photo)

Al-Asif Square, an old apartment scheme in Sohrab Goth area of Karachi mostly housed by Afghan refugees, had been notorious for the presence of TTP, criminals and drug peddlers. (AN Photo)

• 100 women to learn international standard embroidery, handicrafts
• Initiative to make them self-reliant in host country and improve economic prospects once they are repatriated to Kabul

KARACHI: As part of efforts to make refugees self-reliant and economically independent, Pakistan on Monday joined hands with the UNHCR to train nearly 100 women, mostly from Afghanistan, in specials crafts and marketing skills.
Measures for the initiative were disclosed by Ruvendrini Menikdiwela, the UNHCR’s representative in Pakistan, who inaugurated a “training center for embroidery, tailoring, and jewelry marking”, at Sohrab Goth in Karachi, on Monday. 
Prior to unveiling the plan, Menikdiwela visited an apartment in the outskirts of Sohrab Goth, which is mostly inhabited by Afghan refugees, where young women were learning how to embroider.
“This is the center where we are hoping that the Afghan and non-Afghan refugees will get artisan and marketing skills, aimed at enabling them to become self-reliant and economically independent,” she told Arab News.
Welcoming Prime Minister Imran Khan’s offer to extend citizenship to refugees, she said: “We understand that it starts a national discussion on this important issue and we stand here to assist the government in any possible way.”
The initiative, she said, will teach refugee women to make crafts and market their products. “One hundred vulnerable women will receive skills training in hand embroidery, home decoration items, thread-work, tailoring and jewelry making,” she said.
In addition to providing training, the group will also provide materials, equipment, and machinery as part of the six-month project. “All trainees will be provided with toolkits or sewing machines so that they can work after the training ends,” she said, adding that the training program will focus on improving the quality of the crafts produced while enhancing refugees’ marketing and business skills.
“UNHCR will support the refugee women with market exposure so they are able to understand current market trends in order to improve their work. An exhibition to link the artisans with national markets will be arranged,” she said.
Menikdiwela added that the initiative would not only make refugees self-reliant in Pakistan, but it would also improve their future economic prospects once they return to Afghanistan.
Huma Adnan, Founder of Craft Stories and Fnkasia, said that her brand has undertaken the responsibility of teaching 25 women handicraft skills. “We are ensuring these talented women produce products of a high standard to get the attention of the international markets,” she told Arab News. Facilitating FnkAsia in the process is Aik Hunar Aik Nagar (AHAN) – an organization of Pakistan’s Ministry of Labour.
Surya, an Afghan teenager, who has been selected for the program, told Arab News that she was excited to learn new things, which will help her earn money for her family. “We appreciate this initiative. Through this program we will show our talent to the world,” she said.
According to the UNHCR, Pakistan continues to host 1.39 million Afghan refugees, with nearly 63,000 residing in Sindh, mostly in Karachi.