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Empowering women through literacy: a Pakistan story

Rehana has learned to read, write and count – skills that are opening doors she once thought were closed forever.

Written by Tabita Shamshad | 21 Jan 2025

Rehana, a woman wearing a headscarf in shades of red and orange, sits on a mat writing in an exercise book.

Through a Tearfund-supported female adult literacy project, Rehana has learned to read, write and count – skills that are opening doors she once thought were closed forever. Credit: Tearfund

Meet Rehana* from a small village in Tando Allahyar. Growing up, she dreamt of going to school, but with no school nearby, that dream felt out of reach. Rehana got married young and focused on caring for her family, but her desire for education never faded.

Fast forward to today, she has learnt to read, write and count – skills that are opening doors she once thought were closed forever. It’s all thanks to a Tearfund-supported programme which includes the Female Adult Literacy Centre.

Rehana shared that, ‘Growing up without access to education, I dreamt of going to school but never had the opportunity. Today, through the Female Adult Literacy Centre established with Tearfund's support, my dream is turning into a reality.’

And the impact doesn’t stop there. Rehana’s newfound confidence is shaping her family’s future too. Her son is thriving in school and her daughter is all set to start this academic year!

This is more than just literacy. This is the power of education to transform lives and inspire communities.

‘In the beginning, most of the group members felt shy to study, but after several activities, the project team motivated and encouraged us to attend the classes and study regularly. Now, all of us can write and read numbers, and also write our own names!’
Rehana in Pakistan, who attended female adult literacy classes supported by Tearfund

More about the project

This Tearfund-supported project is empowering communities like Rehana’s in Pakistan through activities and input that promote sustainable development and gender inclusion.

The project includes menstrual hygiene management awareness sessions for women, as well as the installation of handpumps for water and provision of water coolers to help ensure people have access to safe, drinkable water.

As part of the project, women have been trained in disaster-risk reduction and learnt about kitchen gardening to provide food for their families – this has also been supported by the distribution of trees and gardening kits.

Livelihoods have been improved through training in livestock management and providing people with goats.

Through the project, self-help groups have also been set up. Rehana is a member of one of these groups where members receive training in savings and small business management, with selected women receiving small business grants to grow their businesses.

Education and literacy were prioritised by establishing Female Adult Literacy Centres, training teachers, providing necessary resources, and promoting girls' education through awareness sessions and school stationery distribution. For Rehana’s self-help group, the project team appointed a female teacher from the same village to teach basic literacy and numeracy to the group members and any other women who wanted to learn.

Rehana says, ‘In the beginning, most of the group members felt shy to study, but after several activities, the project team motivated and encouraged us to attend the classes and study regularly. Now, all of us can write and read numbers, and also write our own names!’

*Name has been changed for protection.

Written by

Written by  Tabita Shamshad

Tabita Shamshad is a Programme, Communication and Reporting Officer for Tearfund in the Eurasia and North Africa region

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