Availability of vehicle is major problem for girls in Pakistan that creates hurdle going schools, markets, offices or even hospitals. Some of the stereotypes and cultural phenomenon is also exist here. Transport is one of the basic necessity of life to groom and excel.
Recently I hear about a good initiative taken to empower women in the Punjab by Foundation for Awareness and Civic Education (FACE). in which they provided 10 bicycles to Universality of Okara, located southwest of the city of Lahore and Faisalabad by passing away Ravi River. The city is famous for its agriculture and cotton mills.
The initiative aim to empower and facilitate female students in their mobility, the Foundation for Awareness and Civic Education (FACE) has handed over ten bicycles to the University of Okara.
Prof.Dr. Muhammad Zakria Zakar, Vice Chancellor of the University of Okara, Asifa Khan Director Programs of FACE, members from the two organizations and a large number of students attended a colorful ceremony held in this regard at university.
The Vice Chancellor Dr. Zakria Zakar highly appreciated the FACE contribution and termed it a great initiative to empower female students of the university.
Speaking on the occasion Asifa Khan said the idea “Girls on Wheels” was aimed to facilitate and empower female students under Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) 05 to which Pakistan is a signatory to achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls.
The newly established University of Okara, a public sector university has 4000 students from which majority is female students, the idea behind this was to facilitate female students of Department of Manage science who have to commute between various academic blocks situated at significant distance on daily basis hence creating mobility challenge for the girl students within the campus.
Asifa Khan further said with the provision of the bicycles the girl students would be able to break the mobility barriers in personal, academic, and professional lives.
She said FACE had been engaged with the University of Okara ever since its establishment had facilitated the university in various student-friendly initiatives including organizing training workshops on digital security, developing effective essay writing skills, and imparting training in video-making and citizen journalism.
She also added that FACE will expand this initiative at school level and bicycles will be provided to school girls in rural areas to decrease the dropout rate of the girls.
Mr. Shehzad Aziz (In charge department of management sciences) added this initiative would not only facilitate girls but it would be environment friendly and will give more confidence to female students.
