Project

Democracy for Women’s Rights in Sindh, Pakistan

Grantee: Aasthan Latif Welfare Society

The project’s objective was to enhance the quality of rural women’s political participation by raising their awareness of fundamental rights; the advantages of democracy and the importance of participation. The grantee aimed to mobilize and motivate rural women to actively participate in political life, and to organize them to take collective efforts on their own behalf.  Activities were targeted at both women and men in 680 communities in Sindh Province, Pakistan, and included data collection, participatory meetings, extensive media campaigns and social gatherings to stimulate community discussion, and the organization of local groups to promote and protect women’s rights. The project was relevant, given the fact that democratic participation in Pakistan, especially of women, was low. Underlying causes included the male-dominated social system, low awareness of fundamental freedoms and democratic rights, and a general lack of confidence in democratic processes.

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Lessons from Project

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Evidence collected during interviews and group discussions, and as self-reported by the grantee, indicated that women’s new-found confidence to exercise their democratic rights was sensitive to the attitudes and decisions of their male relatives. If this confidence does not get translated into actual democratic participation the motivation of the women involved may weaken.

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The sustainability of the project has perhaps been compromised by the fact that elections in Pakistan were delayed. Given the prevailing lack of confidence in democratic processes, the failure to be able to exercise the right to vote, which the project participants had been educated about, could eventually compromise the results of the project.

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Not much thought was given to the design of the media campaign element of the project at its start. In planning for this element of the project the grantee could have included a qualitative market research component, even as simple as a few focus groups, to help assess impact and revise messages and materials accordingly. This would have also allowed an assessment of the impact of the media campaign.

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The project aimed to reach an exceptionally high number of people and succeeded in doing so.  Quantitative targets were either met or exceeded. However, the effectiveness of the project, as well as its impact, might have been higher if it had delivered a smaller set of more tightly focused interventions. As it was, interventions were broad rather than deep.

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A positive factor for the sustainability of the project was the established track record of the grantee in the target communities. The grantee’s familiarity with local culture and institutions, its position of trust in communities, and its expertise all contributed to project success. The NGO has also proven its ability to attract funding.

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An especially important impact of the project was that it encouraged a large number of women to obtain national identity cards, a potentially life-changing event for many.  During the 2010 floods in this area there had been a general awareness raising of the rights associated with identity cards but the project converted this general knowledge into a concrete entitlement to public relief.

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