Addressing the Needs of Balochi Women in Quetta With a Women's Center

[hanne]

To the women and girls in Quetta:
I would like to start a discussion regarding your daily life and the needs that an outside organization can meet. I am looking towards the future creation of a women's center in Quetta, and I would like to hear your perspective on what it should offer the community and what role you would like it to play in the advancement of women's rights. I have some ideas, but truly need your input to better make this center a worthwhile addition.
Essentially, I want this women's center to be a hub of activity advancing women's rights and improving the quality of life. For women, I want to hold workshops on political and legal rights, educating the community on how laws impact them, as well as to how women can use the laws in place to their advantage. It will also be a center for peaceful political activity. I envision women learning about political candidates or policy changes as they pertain to women and girls. While the center itself will not be affiliated with candidates, it would provide equal space for discussions, rallies or other events.
The road to advancement is not confined to political or legal rights. This center will also offer educational classes addressing the need. While I don't want to make assumptions about the educational level of the average Baloch woman in Quetta, I would imagine that there is a portion of the population that could benefit from English classes or basic literacy and math courses, as well as computer classes.
I would also like to make the center an arena for economic development. Traditional artwork could be produced in a social setting, making the time spent more enjoyable and adding to the social acceptance of income-earning women. Artwork, crafts and weaving produced could then use the CISD network to be sold internationally, expanding the revenue earned and the power of women in their individual households.

This center would also provide a benefit for the girls in Quetta. It would offer tutoring services at all grade levels, helping girls to flourish in their academics and increasing retention rates. There should be a pride fostered in young girls for their academic success, and additional tutoring outside of their official academic institution plays a critical role in how intelligent or capable one sees themselves.
The center would also educate on women's health and nutrition, answering questions most young girls have in a scientific and un-biased manor. It would remove all stigma or reproach from responses, allowing for questions to be more honestly and easily asked. All value judgments would be left for the parents, and the center would not prefer a particular religion or world view over another, supplying only facts.
Relationships are crucial to a woman's quality of life. The center would work hard to provide opportunities for girls and women alike to socialize, network and otherwise build upon relationships. It is my sincere hope that a sisterhood would be strengthened through this center and that women across the city would bond together to support and help one another.

Dear Balochi women, please let me know if this center would provide for a need and a want. Would this help or benefit your lives? Should it do something different, or is there a particular element that should be emphasized? What are your thoughts???
I look forward to your responses so that I can do my best in offering support to you from DC. Please be honest!

[Kathryn]

This is Sher Afgan Tareen, son of Fauzia Deeba who worked for women rights, education and development from Quetta to the outskirt villages across Balochistan. I believe that having a holistic approach to the issues facing baloch women is the right pathway. The issue can not be solved by donating a chuck of money or by just using talks the development organizations as a means. Instead, the activists in Balochistan must go from one house to another, one neighborhood to the other so that the women themselves realize the problems they face and find innovative ways to solve them. A major hindrance towards development in Balohistan over the years that my mother worked for UNDP and UNICEF is that the people themselves feel being pushed by an outsider force. The men in the communities feel that their own voice is not being heard by these foreign elements and therefore do not welcome change. However, if the process starts by asking these people the problems they face, we will realize that these problems are marked by a whole list of issues: education, health and basic well bieng. In order to bring change, we must mobilize efforts from the local people themselves. Only then will we realize that loads of money or talks from influential people does not get the job done. To get the job done, the people must be the dominant participants to being change to their own lifestyle.

[Nausheen Baloch]

Dear Hanne
that will really work and we appreciate your commendable efforts in this regard.