Gilgit, Pakistan

The Shining Light Designers of Gilgit

Length of project: 12 months

Partner: Shining Light Community Development Organisation

We’re young women who come from traditional communities, where women remain silent and at home. This might have been our past, but it is not our future.

We’ve discovered our design skills and our confidence. We’re ready to start our own businesses and be a shining light for other women to break free from restrictive traditions.

Razia wants to inspiring other local women

Funding for this project is closed

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Messages from supporters

Prayers, encouragements and shout outs

Maureen £10

Well done ladies keep going and you will reach your goals and ambitions to become self sufficient and business women

Their story

Meet Razia and her fellow designers

We belong to the Gujjar community. Our people are poor and very traditional. Men are in-charge and women remain inside. Looking after the home and children. We have ideas and want jobs, but we learnt to keep these desires hidden. We knew our place.

There was joy in our hearts when Project Possible came to our village. They wanted to help local women learn to sew and tailor. We jumped at the chance! At first, we couldn’t thread a needle, but when we cut material and made our own garments for the first time, it made us feel so good about ourselves. Now we’re full of inspiration and are ready to make unique, hand-stitched and embroidered outfits from scratch!

We are proud of how far we have come. Our families are amazed and respect us. There’s plenty of demand from local people wanting our clothes for weddings and family celebrations.

We want to run small businesses and be shining lights in our villages. We have a thirst for learning and want to help other women. To show everyone that women don’t need to stay home, they can earn money for their families.

The women are brimming with talent and confidence
“I have dreamed of being a teacher and sharing my sewing skills with other women in my village. I can produce beautiful hand-stitched clothes for local people.” Razia shares her ambition

Their project

Designing their own future

Project Possible will work with local partner, Shining Lights Community Development Organisation, to help these talented designers in the best way possible so the impact of good business is felt by their families and communities.

We’ll be working closely with our partner to:

  • Provide each woman with start-up capital to purchase materials and equipment
  • Provide mentoring and support to help the women manage and market their business to local people
  • Provide on-going training so the women can use more advanced techniques when making bespoke outfits
Hand-stitched and embroidered for local people

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