Written by: Gohar Javed
Posted on: August 29, 2019 | 
| 中文
Sanitary Pads distribution in Kasur
In Pakistan, people tend to focus on economic growth as the sole indicator of progress. The country may prioritize increasing the GDP to such an extent, that it forgets about the very people who comprise in the economy. Our nation faces huge deep-rooted challenges regarding human development, and more so, when it comes to women empowerment. However, there are organizations which have taken up the mantle of improving lives on a local, everyday level. One of these organizations is Spread the Word (STW).
According to the founder of the organization, Mahnoor Ali Syed, “Spread the Word focuses on a bottom-up approach in engaging communities to implement human development projects, with a special focus on women empowerment”.
It started in the summer of 2016, over a phone call between two friends, Mahnoor and Wafa Zaka.Their summer break had just started, and they decided not to waste them. They wanted to build a platform to improve the lives of young people who were just like them, but not as privileged. They wanted to tell these children about the opportunities available to them, while also helping them develop leadership and project management skills on their terms.
They teamed up with Menahil Asim, another friend, and thought of a project which initially was just about literacy awareness in the underprivileged areas of Pakistan. They began with talks and workshops in order to convince people to get their children educated, which resulted in very positive outcomes. After this success, they wanted to expand the scope of the organization. They partnered with several local schools to organize educational and co-curricular activities, to raise funds for their projects.
They also held awareness workshops on social issues, like bullying, child abuse, mental and physical health in Lahore. They felt it was important to teach school administrations to cater to mental and emotional needs as well as physical needs. More so, STW wanted to equip the students with the right tools to defend and take care of themselves, long after they leave school. They have also collected money and used books to open two libraries on Wahdat Road, Lahore.
All this hard work paid off when Mahnoor was honored with the Queen’s Young Leader Award in 2018. The training, networking and exposure, which came with the award, opened new horizons for her to develop this organization into what it is today. Today she works as the President of the organization, with Iman Iftikhar and Noor Afshan Furqan as Vice Presidents. Currently they have five active projects: three microfinance projects collectively called Ikhtiaar (Empowerment), a menstrual-health awareness project called Ikdaam-e-Sehat-e-Niswan (Efforts for Women’s Health), and Sponsor a Child.
The most active one of these is Ikdaam-e-Sehat-e-Niswan. In many areas of Pakistan, menstrual hygiene is considered a social taboo. As a result, 79% of women miss school and work every month because they lack both awareness, and access to proper facilities, which could manage their menstruation in a hygienic way. STW’s perception was that there were not enough organizations effectively tackling this issue, and decided to do their part in helping women.
Mahnoor explained in an interview, that it has been really challenging making women comfortable enough to talk about menstruation and reproductive health. In the beginning, women often hesitated to discuss the topic. And when it came to the general public, people were not very comfortable with a team of women talking about these issues either. But, they continued to persevere, using a different angle.
To tackle this issue, STW organized menstrual hygiene camps in some communities. They started with sanitary pads, but are now focusing on more sustainable and reusable options, using different patches of clothes and towels. They are also working with the women in the communities to make these pads locally and environment-friendly, using funds from their microfinance projects.
So far, their projects have had a huge impact on their society. As a result of Ikdaam-e-Sehat-e-Niswan, more than 150 women have started using sanitary napkins. The beneficiaries of their microfinance project, mostly women, have a way to earn their livings on their terms.
Recently, STW has collaborated with an organization called Khwajasira Support, to help provide vocational training to the transgender community. Their project aims to help the community prepare for work in tailoring shops, museums, government offices. STW also collaborated with Barkat Foundation to arrange health camps in 15 remote and underdeveloped areas.
As a parting note, Mahnoor said, “A strong sense of community is deeply ingrained in the Pakistani culture, and I really think we could make that our strength. The world at large, could become a wonderful place if we all actively contributed positive change to the communities we are part of, have access to or simply feel connected to”.
Currently, they are expanding their project to train female microfinance beneficiaries, in Khamba Pind, Lahore. The women are learning to produce environment-friendly menstruation products, which will be distributed through the Ikdaam-e-Sehat-e-Niswan program.
To work with Spread the Word, or to donate to their cause, you can either contact them on https://www.facebook.com/spreadtheworddd/or drop them an email at spreadtheword9@outlook.com.
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