n the face of enduring gender disparities, the landscape of women’s empowerment in Sindh is experiencing a remarkable shift. The new narrative speaks of resilience, unwavering determination and united efforts.

Mai Jama from a remote village of Sain Dad Alyani in district Mirpurkhas, shares her transformation story. She says, “I am a widow having the responsibility to raise little children. I had no income and it was hard for me to earn a daily meal for my children. I got this opportunity to work and solve my immediate problems of livelihood. I was determined. That changed my destiny.

“I diligently worked for 25 days under the Cash for Work scheme in my village. I earned Rs 17,500. This money has proved substantial income for me. I invested the amount in purchasing a goat to sustain my income. It is growing into more goats and I feel that I have attained financial independence.”

Mai Pathani, a resident of Asif Brohi village in Umerkot district, speaks of the importance of unity and determination, which she says led her and others to solving some of their problems. The villagers were facing terrible conditions. They lacked access to a highway. This limited their mobility to the village boundary. The sick and pregnant women in the village had a particularly hard time. The collective efforts yielded positive results.

“We constructed a mud road for the village. It’s more than just a pathway. It’s a lifeline, enabling easier movement. Instead of waiting for the change to come from outside, we’ve become the architects of our destiny. We have proved that genuine empowerment and change come from within,” she says.

In January 2023, the government launched the Sindh Flood Emergency Rehabilitated Project with the assistance of the World Bank. It was a $500 million initiative. The SFERP focused on restoring local infrastructure and livelihoods through Cash for Work, aiding flood-affected communities in earning cash under favourable conditions.

This assistance helped many meet immediate livelihood needs while restoring destabilised infrastructure post-2022 floods. CfW strategies ensure the inclusion of all societal groups, engaging unskilled workers in infrastructure development. The project targeted flood-affected villages, rehabilitating watercourses, cleaning ponds, filling mud roads and reviving street pavements. Engaging 61,489 women, 75,758 people from vulnerable groups (including 1,849 disabled individuals, 3,978 widows, 268 divorced individuals, 2,928 orphans, 6,774 women-headed households, 5,137 female on/ off-farm workers, and 30,834 landless labourers), along with 12,038 large families and 7,465 pregnant/ lactating women. The SFERP spanned 14 districts, 50 talukas and 489 union councils of Sindh. It was implemented with NGO support from organisations like Sindh Rural Support Organisation, National Rural Support Programme and Thardeep Rural Development Programme.

Pakistan’s commitment to achieving Sustainable Development Goals is evident in its focus on SDG 1 (No Poverty), SDG 5 (Gender Equality), SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth) and SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities). The government has taken significant steps to address gender disparities by aligning policies and providing opportunities for women across various sectors such as politics, management and engineering. Initiatives like the Benazir Income Support Programme and The Strengthening Social Protection Delivery System contribute to this effort by implementing social safety nets.

These endeavours have led to improvements in gender indicators, as evidenced by the World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap Report, 2023, which indicates a 5.1 percent improvement in the economic participation and opportunities sub-index over the past decade, resulting in a 36.2 percent parity. Despite progress, this level of parity lags behind global standards, highlighting the ongoing need for concerted efforts to address gender inequality in Pakistan.

Infrastructure rehabilitation and development remains a challenging field for the inclusion of women and vulnerable groups. But infrastructure projects can have a vital role in shaping the socioeconomic landscape of a nation.

The impact of these projects often extends beyond construction to the creation of opportunities, inclusion and participation, economic well-being, positive engagement of excluded and marginalised groups and livelihood improvement and entrepreneurship enhancement. In Pakistan, such endeavours are not only addressing infrastructural needs but are also serving as an avenue for empowering these groups and contributing to the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals.

Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, the chairman of Sindh’s ruling party (Pakistan Peoples Party), has taken commendable steps to enhance gender indicators and advance SDGs in a manner that has attracted global attention. His vision and strategic approach have accelerated the process of policy formulation and field-based initiatives that could significantly foster gender equality and women inclusion in various projects such as the SFERP.

His pragmatic approach in engaging diplomatic channels and enhancing policy dialogues has garnered support for the integration of women into such transformative endeavours.

The SFERP project director, Ghulam Asghar Kanasro, is focused on mainstreaming women through infrastructure rehabilitation projects. His plan, under this project, includes integrating gender considerations and prospects to sustainable development and empowerment of women in Sindh province. Kanasro has expressed optimism that the upcoming WEF’s GGGI report would portray a remarkable picture of Pakistan in terms of gender equality, particularly in indicators related to economic participation and opportunities.

Babar Naseem Khan, the task team leader for the Livelihood Restoration Component of the SFERP at the World Bank, says that infrastructure projects embody more than mere physical development. They catalyze social empowerment and sustainable growth. Through active involvement of women and vulnerable groups, particularly via cash-for-work initiatives, these interventions not only address immediate infrastructure needs but also contribute to broader development goals.

Mohammad Aslam Leghari, the deputy project director, highlights the initial cash disbursement to CFW beneficiaries, which he say posed a challenge. Despite having a memorandum of understanding with a local bank, he says, limited outreach led to difficulties for beneficiaries who had to make multiple visits to the bank branch. To tackle this problem, an additional MoU was signed with the Mobilink Microfinance Bank for digital payments via mobile wallets/ devices.

To prevent deductions, the project team members now accompany beneficiaries during cash withdrawals. After deductions were reported in some cases, prompt action was taken by the project team, leading to reimbursements directly into beneficiaries’ Mobile Wallets by the retailer.

Ahsan Tehsin, another Task Team Leader at the World Bank, says that Cash for Work represents a multifaceted intervention, spanning from initial dialogue to scheme completion. It has yielded remarkable results. He says many schemes rely heavily on local materials, posing challenges to sustainability and climate resilience. Recognising this gap, the SFERP team is collaborating with the academia to identify local climate-resilient resources that can be sourced and utilised in the Cash for Work interventions. This strategic approach aims at facilitating significant and sustainable achievements in the construction of basic infrastructure while increasing the participation of women and vulnerable groups.

The governments need to implement policies and enhance interventions that engage the entire communities: both men and women, as well as vulnerable individuals and unskilled labour. Generating employment opportunities is a crucial mechanism for poverty alleviation and community empowerment. By aligning with the efforts to improve its global gender gap index, Pakistan can propel its agenda of gender equality and social inclusion forward.

The author, a development professional, writes on women’s issues and their rights. She can be reached at email: sanakhanzada4@gmail.com and at X SanaSRahimoo