Introduction
The natural and man-made calamities made women as a widow in world. The effect of these man-made and natural problems forced the women to live in a vicious circle of poverty. Therefore, widows in Pakistan are vulnerable to various problems such job, income, property, food, health due to extreme poverty. This has become a generality in Pakistan. The project will address major problems that affect the survival and NSP Shama Widows Foundation established by NSPC to reach out to the marginalized section of women, the widows, women in prostitution, women in slums, women in agricultural sector etc. Efforts will be made to open up new avenues for widows to bring them into the mainstream who are discriminated by socially traditions and religious sanctions.Our aim encourages widows to participate in the development process, who are beyond an "only receiving mentality” that causes a mental and economic dependency keeping people in a vicious poverty cycle.
Deprived widows economically depend on husband and they are not equipped to earn.
They are legally marginalized, unaware of her rights and incapable of asserting herself she has no judicial recourse. Lack of support very few governments and NGOs view marginalized women including widows as a special category with individual problems and a specialized status.
Objectives
- To improve the conditions of poor widows who are victims of social & economical crisis while providing them means to get involved in income generating activities.
- To establish a sustainable economical and social basis for self subsistence in order to fully take responsibility for herself and her children.
- To assist and provide financial support and bring about meaningful change in the widow's life.
- To offer counseling and support services for those who have been traumatized & socially out cast.
- To prevent Widows from being exposed to potential delinquency and other social evils as well as return to a dependency in a economically based and often abusive marriage.
- To regain sustaining self confidence and dignity.
Most of the activities of the project are designed to be participatory and to be performed at the grass root level.
NSP Shama Widows Foundation especially helps the convicted widows who are behind the bares for the reason whatsoever may be!
It is essential point to the generous persons who helps in the shape of donation to the NSP Shama Widows Foundation that this organization although as like NGO, but, it is a purely based on to be restoration of widows on their footing as their were originally stand.
The NSP Shama Widows Foundation found that it is vital to raise the issue of discriminated women as a cause for social concern and use the facilities existing in the system to build capacities of this section of society.
Working Women Shelter
We provide shelter to working widow women. We offer this service to fulfill its objective to empower women. Most mothers feel that they are living in their own homes. The older ones feel that they are matriarchs who are engaged in taking care of the younger ones. We provide all requirements of washing, clothing, boarding, and lodging and provide education to their children.
Activities
Self Help Groups
Self Help Groups have been established to create suitable community base, which will nurture economic development especially amongst poor women and encourage saving, income generation and loaning for their self-reliance and sustainability.
Health
Most mothers suffer from old age problems including poor vision, nutritional deficiencies, and respiratory and orthopedic problems. While lack of mobility prevents the older ones from going to hospital all of them have financial constraints in meeting medical treatment.
Economic Empowerment
Economic empowerment of a widow or single women is perhaps the essential support that can be extended. It not only helps in providing regular sustenance but also gives her esteem in the eyes of society.
Vocational Training
The cutting tailoring centre of the Shama Widows Center. They were exposed to a variety of skills which they can bring to use both in day to day life and for generating some income.
Family Counseling Centre,
The Family Counseling Centre has been running for the past one and half decades. Family is one of the social institutions in our society and it forms the backbone of our social structure. As a social unit, family reveals the following important characteristics:
Since family represents an enduring relationship, reckoning of lineage either through father or mother is also a characteristic of a family. Child bearing and economic factors contribute to the constitution of the family. Relationships between the members of the family are socially sanctioned and are of a traditional nature. Living together of various members is also one of the characteristics of a family.
Shama Parvaiz
Executive Director
Professor Road, Bahar Colony #1,
Kot Lakhpat, Lahore-Pakistan
Tel: 92-42-5837198
Cell- 03214846635 92-300-4366950
Email:shamafoundation@yahoo.com