Projects on the Go - Girls Reading to Succeed

Projects on the Go (POG) a maker space on wheels, has been designed to empower and enable young girls to explore various skills and gain enough mastery in any one to set up a small online business. The project focuses on independent learning, and problem solving; to empower girls to think critically and creatively, and use the toolkit at their disposal to enhance their entrepreneurial skills. In this process the girls will develop and find solutions that directly address social issues. They will explore business opportunities that have a positive impact on their community, in society or the world. POG is contributing towards girls’ education and empowering them to become independent and support themselves. Most of the girls we are catering to are coming from a background where they have a high school dropout rate due to several issues. Increase in the level of female education improves human development outcomes such as child survival, health and schooling. Lower female education has a negative impact on economic growth as it lowers the average level of human capital. Through this innovative project we are trying to provide solutions to the challenges faced by girls in continuing their education or learning skills to become independent. This project has been running in five low income DOA schools of Lahore since August 2021 completing eight smooth months of implementation to date. In these months, we were able to train six batches of LCWU teaching interns who were going along with our instructors to implement the project in the schools with girls of grades 6 and 7. All this time, girls were learning new techniques and the lessons were designed around skill development of the six clubs; Art, Craft, Computer, Electronics, Kitchen Gardening and Photography. We have introduced Business Skills to the projects on the go children so they can move their projects towards entrepreneurship skills. First topic covered so far is Business Canvas and Product Development. These sessions have mostly been discussion based in which they wrote their business ideas by filling the canvas. Initially, most of the groups liked the idea of starting their own businesses but were confused on how to do it. The girls were struggling in designing the implementation strategies. Role play and logo making activity was introduced to them. In the role play their respective group members were asked to give them feedback on how well they acted as a customer and a shop keeper. In logo making we also asked the Arts Club Mentor to give some tips on how they can further improve their logo. They have been told that this is just a thinking process and next we will step into the implementation stage and for this they have to pick someone who can represent them at different platforms. In a few groups two girls wanted to participate so we did voting within the club to choose someone. In others they were asked to give three reasons why that girl from their club should get the training related to Business Skills. The girls shared reasons like confidence, jack of all trades, good written and verbal communication skills and good in Mathematics. In next few months these girls (one from each group) will be working directly with the business skills mentor. The girls are gaining confidence and also becoming more inquisitive. They have also started enjoying collaboration and are less contradictory in the planning as a group. After this phase with your continued support we will be moving towards the final projects they will design under the supervision of experienced mentors which will further lead to selecting one best project per school, which will be supported in kind to help the girls set up their own startup which will not only contribute to their own lives but to their community as well. We are also keen to take this project to more schools across Lahore in the coming year.