Pakistan remains a deeply patriarchal society where it is difficult for women to assert themselves. A fundamental transformation in attitudes is necessary, both within families and in society as a whole. This goal has been driving the Kashf Foundation’s actions for over twenty years.
The first thing a woman does when she earns money is to invest in her family’s future. In households where women work and bring home
their own pay, nutritional intake is higher and children are two to three times more likely to go to school.
By financing their business ventures, Kashf provides women entrepreneurs with official recognition of their success. Their community looks at them in a different way, as positive role models.
And that encourages other women to follow in their footsteps.
Of the women micro-entrepreneurs whose projects are financed by Kashf, 20% go on to employ other
women from their community. In 2015, 8.5% of women microentrepreneurs created three jobs on average. By 2021, the project will have created and sustained 104,040 indirect jobs, a third of which will be directly attributable to Proparco financing. It’s a significant contribution to the country’s development.
Meet a few clients of the Kashf Foundation in Pakistan