A colorful exhibition in Islamabad has revealed how women entrepreneurs in Pakistan are making a name for themselves and also generating more revenue for their business.

One of the most prominent stalls was of Musharrat Nasreen, a herbalist from Lahore. Nasreen was a housewife who couldn’t pursue her dream of having a business of organic skin products, until her children grew up and her husband retired. “I did a course about natural products and herbs from India in 1988, but all these years, I couldn’t work because of my family. Now I am successfully running my business,” says Nasreen.

Musharrat Nasreen: the mistress of herbs

Her products range from acne treatment to curing baldness. “It’s a great experience. I’ve worked hard and now, after many years, I have my own shop in Islamabad,” she says enthusiastically. Nasreen advises to young women to give time to their family but also encourages them do business or work from home. “Women should not sit idle. They should become economically independent, Pakistan cannot become prosperous if half of our population does not engage in any economic activity,” she observes.

Starting on your own

Sofia Akhtar, another woman entrepreneur, began displaying her artistic work three years ago in different hotels and galleries. “I was frustrated, I needed a platform to exhibit my paintings, but when I didn’t get any opportunity, I decided that I should start on my own,”she says. She now exhibits her work twice a week in a display centre in Islamabad. Her range of products includes bed linen, paintings, decorative items and apparel.

I was curious to know how difficult it is running a business in a male-dominated society. I spoke to Nazish Naveed, a young businesswoman. Naveed belongs to Multan and although it is one of the big cities in Pakistan, it is still considered very conservative. However, Naveed has overcome this challenge, “In Multan, it’s not common for women to open their own shops and work there, so I mostly sell my products online and if I have to display my work, I mostly do it in Islamabad.”

Rizwana Noreen has eight women working with her

Multan is famous for its calligraphy done with small mirror pieces. Naveed, whose family was in this business from generations, has given this work a modern touch. She believes that her business venture would have been impossible without the support of her husband, who encouraged her to set up her company and travel to enhance her business.

Promoting gender integration

UNIDO-WED National Programme Coordinator, Shahina Waheed, says that the organization specifically focuses on promoting gender integration in creative, non-traditional sub-sectors. The organization builds the capacity of women, develops linkages with national and international markets and partners with value chain operators. Waheed says that UNIDO has a network of 10,000 women entrepreneurs in Pakistan which they not only train but also support in exhibiting their work both nationally and internationally.

Owner of a small business called, Riz Collection, Rizwana Noreen believes that women must encourage more women. She is in the garments business since the last 12 years. She exhibits her clothes nationally and internationally. “I am very proud. I only had one tailor but now I have hired eight people, of which mostly are women,” she says.

Author: Beenish Javed

Editor: Manasi Gopalakrishnan

You can follow Beenish Javed on Twitter @beenishjaved.