USAID, BISP team up to elevate status of marginalised - skills-based training for self-employment of BISP beneficiaries launched

USAID, BISP team up to elevate status of marginalised  - skills-based training for self-employment of BISP beneficiaries launched  

MULTAN- Deputy Commissioner Multan Mudassir Riaz Malik inaugurated the launch event of exclusive skills-based trainings for self-employment of Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) beneficiaries, here at Arts Council Multan on Saturday. 

Organised by the USAID-Punjab Youth Workforce Development Project, these technical and vocational trainings are intended, especially for underprivileged women of selected districts of Multan, Muzaffargarh, Lodhran and Bahawalpur, and will help complement the joint objective of Govt of Pakistan and USAID-PYWD Project to focus on the development of female youth, ensuring at least 35% female inclusion in training and entrepreneurship opportunities.

Ashfaq Ahmed Hiraj, Divisional Director, Benazir Income Support Programme Multan said, “BISP is now the largest single cash transfer program in the country’s history. Today’s event’s highlights a successful example of public/private partnership between BISP and USAID-PYWD Project, which will go a long way to achieve the Federal Government’s goal of eradication of poverty and elevating the status of marginalized and under-privileged sections of society, especially women by imparting technical and vocational market-driven skills and enabling them to stand on their own feet through self-employment and empowerment”.

The USAID-Punjab Youth Workforce Project and Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) inked an MoU to collaborate in eradication of poverty and elevating the status of marginalized and under-privileged sections of society, especially women by imparting technical and vocational market driven skills and enabling them to stand on their own feet through self-employment and empowerment to ensure sustainable positive change in the lives of persistently overlooked and deprived families here at Multan arts council on Saturday.

With reference to this MoU, the project will identify, screen and select marginalized youth from the Benazir Income Support Program (BISP) database of the beneficiary families in 4 focus districts of Multan, Muzaffargarh, Lodhran and Bahawalpur as per BISP data sharing protocol. Furthermore, the project will facilitate the BISP beneficiaries to get technical and vocational training imparted though its public and private training providing partners, leading to access self-employment opportunities by having toolkits.

The USAID-Punjab Youth Workforce Development Project is geared to help achieve the desired goals by transforming the youth bulge into an economic dividend, and it further complements Pakistan’s Vision 2025, aimed at significant human and social capital development. Aligned with the Government of Punjab’s policy to provide skills development opportunities to the youth, the three-year PYWD project sets forth an example of a significant initiative by United States Agency for International Development (USAID) in southern Punjab districts of Multan, Lodhran, Bahawalpur and Muzaffargarh.

The project collaborates with public-private partner organizations and the business community to provide skills trainings to 10,000 youth (including 35% females), aged 16 to 29 that lead to employment and entrepreneurship opportunities. Besides contributing to the overall economic growth in the selected districts of southern Punjab, the project is also fostering socially constructive attitudes among marginalized youth for increased stability and improved livelihoods. Project Director, Mr. Qaisar Nadeem while addressing the participants said that the purpose of this event is to showcase the successful public/private partnership model by launching exclusive skills-based trainings for self-employment of BISP beneficiaries, especially for underprivileged women of selected districts of Multan, Muzaffargarh, Lodhran and Bahawalpur.

The event was arranged by PYWD project under the auspice of Divisional Director BISP, Multan, and wwas helped complement the joint objective of Govt of Pakistan and USAID-PYWD Project to focus on the development of female youth and seeks to ensure at least 35% female inclusion in training and entrepreneurship opportunities. The event will be attended by relevant public/private partners/stakeholders, representatives of training providers, community, Civil Society and NGOs interested to know more about and synergize the efforts of USAID-PYWD Project and BISP for increased stability and improved livelihoods.

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