ISLAMABAD, Pakistan: The Prime Minister’s Special Assistant on Youth Affairs with the Status of Minister of State Shaza Fatima Khawaja inaugurated the Wecamp Festival to Support and Celebrate 100 Women Entrepreneurs over the weekend at the Pakistan National Council of the Arts (PNCA) in Islamabad.
In collaboration with the Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP), the Ministry of Commerce organized the Wecamp Festival.
Over 100 home-based women entrepreneurs set up their stalls, displayed and sold their various handmade products.
In her address, Shaza Fatima Khawaja highlighted gender inequalities in economic activities and ensured that Prime Minister’s youth program will specially focus on giving loans and opportunities to women entrepreneurs.
“Women face immense difficulties in accessing financial opportunities and funding. Accordingly, the PM’s Youth Program is working to make financial growth a possibility for women. I would also urge the TDAP to take initiatives to make women-owned businesses export ready,” she said.
The festival was open for all walks of life. The citizens of Islamabad and Rawalpindi visited the festival to support and celebrate home-based women entrepreneurs.
The TDAP displayed a stall for information and resources to help women to take their business to the next level.
The festival helped women entrepreneurs grow their businesses and expand their market outreach.
Special focus was paid to reaching marginalised communities of women.
Accordingly, wecamp partnered with The SEED Program to expand opportunities to twenty women entrepreneurs from KP at the festival. Participation of women in the labour forces is 1/4th of the men’s participation in the labour force. Women face mobility and cultural challenges to advance their careers and entrepreneurial pursuits.
The marketplace and festivals by wecamp are initiatives towards reducing such gender inequalities in Pakistan.
