Women's Development Association

Empower illiterate women and children by giving them reading and writing skills. Teach basic hygiene as well as specific reproductive health awareness. Provide skills to the poorest of the poor so they can improve their economic situation. Promote self-confidence and self-esteem.

Testimonials

Sawera Imran from Harbance pura Lahore, is the mother of four children, she was facing many problems due to being illiterate, but she had a great desire for her children to be educated. Although financial income was not enough to provide for the family, she chose to send her children to nearby Government school that was not very expensive. Her children needed help in their studies, but Sawera could not afford an extra tutor for them so she was very upset and did not know what to do. It was announced at church that a literacy class was going to be started in this area, so she gladly joined this class. Sawera is happy that she can help her children because they used to feel embarrassed in school because their parents were illiterate, but now they feel proud of her because she was courageous enough to get education at her age.
Due to this program, Sawera's life has totally changed and she thanks God for providing her with this opportunity.

Firdous Anwar is a young girl of aproximately 18 years of age, not even Firdous' mother knows her exact age. She lives in a small newly developed area of Lahore called Mehmood Booti. Due to extreme poverty, her parents could not send her to school. They had six more children to take care of. Anwar, her father, was the only source of income for the family. Her mother, being uneducated and having no skills, could not easily help her husband with the finances, especially while the seven children were all so young and she had to be at home with them. When CWDA started a literacy class in her area she was the first to give her name, the timing was perfect for her because by the time class started her mother would be home from work to take care of the kids. The day Firdous received her graduation certificate; she felt she was the luckiest person in the world. Today her parents are proud of her as she learned sewing, is helping them financially, and other domestic matters where literacy is needed, as there is nobody else literate in the family. Firdous has since requested us to start a class for children in the area where she lives, hoping that her siblings can also receive education. Firdous and her family are grateful to CWDA and WDA for changing her life.