Awards Distribution Ceremony

Friends Pakistan has been running an Education and Skill Training Center at Shinkiari with the funding of Peace Stone Foundation Japan.

On April 6, 2009, an Award Distribution Ceremony was arranged at the center Shinkiari to award the certificates/Diplomas to the successful trainees who passed the theoretical and practical demonstration examination conducted by Technical Education Department Mansehra under Skill Development Council Peshawar.

The objective of this function was to distribute the course completion certificates and Prizes amongst the successful trainees of the project for encouraging the trainees and to arouse the urge of activity in the rest of the women of the area. One another objective of this function was to raise awareness of the women of the area about their rights and their economic independence for enhanced role in the decision making process.

The member of the Provincial Assembly (MPA) NWFP Pakistan, Ms. Sajida Tabasum was the chief guest in this ceremony. Women from Shinkiari and surrounding villages from all walks of life i.e. social workers, teachers, Female local Government representatives, women and girls participated in this ceremony.

The ceremony started at 10 o clock and ended by 1 PM on April 6, 2009. The ceremony started with the holy verses of Quran which was succeeded by a Natt Sharif. Mr. Abdul Shakoor, Program Administrator oriented all the guests about the project and the milestones successfully achieved during the said project. He intimated all the participants that one hundred and eight (108) girls have directly benefited from this project in term of education and skill training during the year 2008/2009. Fifty Six (56) girls successfully passed the examination of the Skill Development Council Peshawar conducted by Technical Education Department Mansehra.

The Executive Director of Friends Pakistan Mr. Javed Iqbal thanked all the participants for their presence in the ceremony as well he also congratulated the successful trainees on receiving their course completion certificates. He shed the light on implications of this project for enhancing the livelihood opportunities for girls of the Shinkiari and surrounding villages. He also shared his views about the role of skill development initiatives in the poverty alleviation especially of women in the area. He further briefed all the participants about the Friends Pakistan’s future interventions for the empowerment of the women.

In the end, the chief guest Ms. Sajida Tabasum also congratulated the successful trainess and urged all the women to step forward to play their wider role in enhancing their role in the decision making process at all level. She also appreciated the women development efforts of Friends Pakistan and expressed her willingness to extend all kinds of support to supplement the efforts of Friends Pakistan in Women development. She distributed course completion certificates among the successful participants and distributed the prizes in the form of Sewing machines among the position holder’s trainees.   back