‘Pathways to Rise’: Launch of new project supporting 400 women-led enterprises in Pakistan
With the support of the Alborada Trust, the British Asian Trust is launching ‘Pathways to Rise’ - an initiative to bolster the growth of 400 women-led microenterprises from underserved communities across Sindh and Punjab, Pakistan. This project will be implemented in partnership with our experienced local partners - the District Development Association Tharparkar (DDAT) and the Rural Community Development Society (RCDS).
While South Asia’s emerging economies have made great strides in growth over the past 50 years, according to the World Bank, the region still holds the second largest share of the world’s multidimensionally poor population at 33%, with numerous development challenges still persistent.
In particular, women in Pakistan are struggling to access and build fulfilling livelihoods. Women’s labour force participation is an abysmal 24% and the country ranks near bottom in the 2024 Gender Gap Report - 142 out of 145 countries (WEF). Pakistan ranks 120 out of 136 countries in global enterprise development (Global Entrepreneurship Index, 2022). Only 1% of women are entrepreneurs, and women-led start-ups make up just 10% of all ventures, far below both regional and global averages (LUMS Centre for Entrepreneurship, 2023).
There are several reasons for these gaps including: low educational attainment and poor access to skills development, cultural and societal norms and attitudes affecting women’s agency and mobility, inadequate access to finance and business management knowledge, economic instability, and an unsupportive skilling and enterprise ecosystem.
Evidence both globally and from our programmes, has shown that entrepreneurship offers a critical pathway for women’s economic participation, providing an effective, sustainable route out of poverty. Strengthened livelihoods improve women's wellbeing and autonomy, with benefits extending to their children, families, and communities.
Through the ‘Pathways to Rise’ project, women entrepreneurs will receive gender-responsive training in business planning and management, digital and financial literacy, product development, and climate literacy, with support in accessing finance, market linkages, and trade fairs. This shall result in increased monthly revenue for their microenterprises, helping them access additional financing sources for business development and expansion, and improving business practices like recordkeeping, cost-based pricing, product diversification, and customer engagement.
Over the past 5 years, we have partnered with experienced local partners to run several such projects, through which over 13,000 vulnerable women and youth have already received support to overcome barriers that limit access to skills, markets, networks, and services. Building on this foundation, and guided by our learnings, the next phase of our livelihoods programming will focus on delivering deeper and more sustained impact for women and youth. Alongside this, we have also launched Pakistan’s first ever outcomes-based finance initiative, the Pakistan Skills Impact Bond (PSIB), with the Government of Pakistan and Bank of Punjab, to drive better employment outcomes, accountability, and systemic improvements in skills delivery.
Speaking about the initiative, Kamyla Marvi Tapal, the British Asian Trust’s Country Director in Pakistan said: “We are delighted to begin this new partnership with the Alborada Trust as we launch 'Pathways to Rise'. Women’s economic empowerment is central to Pakistan’s future, and this initiative reflects our wider commitment to building inclusive and resilient livelihood ecosystems where women and youth have access to the skills, finance and market opportunities they need to thrive.”
One of our implementing partners, District Development Association of Tharparkar (DDAT) further affirmed: “We are hopeful and excited about working with the British Asian Trust on this important programme. With the right support and collaboration, we believe women’s skills and resilience can be translated into stronger incomes, greater confidence, and lasting community change. We aim to create pathways that help women move from potential to productivity and, together with the British Asian Trust, remain committed to transparent delivery, measurable outcomes, and meaningful impact.”
By equipping women entrepreneurs with the tools to grow and sustain their businesses, this initiative seeks to unlock opportunity and resilience far beyond its duration - informing policies, strengthening ecosystems, and catalysing a more inclusive and accessible microenterprise landscape in the long-term. We are deeply grateful to the Alborada Trust for their generous support and look forward to the meaningful impact this project will generate for underserved women across Pakistan.