Getting to Work: Women’s Empowerment in South Asia – Ismaili Centre Toronto

In Pakistan, significant inequalities between women and men persist. While challenging social norms can be difficult, small, strategic steps in women’s economic empowerment have changed the lives of many, leading to inspiring stories of hope and social inclusion.

Yasmin Karim, Programme Manager, Aga Khan Rural Support Programme Pakistan, and Lindsay Mossman, Gender Advisor, Aga Khan Foundation Canada engaged with the community to talk about women’s empowerment in challenging contexts and how vocational and skills training in Pakistan is transforming women’s roles in their household and their communities.

Yasmin Karim is the Programme Manager, Gender and Development with the Aga Khan Rural Support Programme (AKRSP) Pakistan. Since 2011, Yasmin has worked with AKRSP to design and implement community development programs that drive women’s social and economic empowerment. Previously, she worked for the International Rescue Committee, and the Aga Khan Development Network Multi-input Earthquake Reconstruction Programme. In 2005, Yasmin was one of 1000 women collectively nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize through the 1000 Peace Women initiative, and in 2012 she was awarded the Human Rights Defender Award by the Prime Minister of Pakistan.

Lindsay Mossman is the Gender Advisor at Aga Khan Foundation Canada, where she supports gender equality integration throughout the Foundation’s programmes. She is a gender specialist with a Master of Arts in International Affairs from the Norman Paterson School of International Affairs and over ten years of experience promoting women’s rights and gender equality in Canada and overseas. Lindsay has particular expertise in gender analysis and mainstreaming, program development, and capacity building, coaching and training and was the CEO of a gender equality consulting firm that she founded in Kigali, Rwanda, which supports development partners, NGOs and private organisations to integrate gender equality in their organisations.