Pakistan (MNN) – While Pakistan has committed to equal rights for women, cultural and societal barriers remain. According to UN Women in a report this year, women in Pakistan face disadvantages in “every sphere of life,” including education and employment.
Pakistan has the lowest rate of paid women employment among South Asian countries, with only one-quarter of women formally employed. The primary reason given for women not working is male family members not allowing them.
Yasmine Joseph says women are often seen as only caretakers of the home and children. Even there, she says women do not have a voice in decision-making. Faced with these challenges, she founded the Society for Relief and Development in 2015 to empower and disciple Pakistani women.
“I want to reach to all the women who are voiceless, who are discriminated, vulnerable,” says Joseph.
Her ministry provides opportunities for women to learn job skills, grow spiritually, and become leaders. However, breaking cultural norms doesn’t come without challenges.
Joseph says, “The first challenge was to get them involved and engaged in our programs, what we have for them, and then to raise their participation in all those activities.”
With support from the men in their lives, women started to join the programs. The ministry also encouraged church leaders to include women in committees and other positions of leadership. Over time, women gained more roles in their churches and found their voices.
“They told us that they really want to know more about Bible,” says Joseph.
“They really want to listen to Bible and to read themselves.”
Almost half of Pakistani women at least 10 years old cannot read or write. The percentage is even higher among the older generations. The ministry addressed this need with an adult literacy program that uses the Bible.
Joseph says, “Our objective was to get all these women more closer to the Bible and to the Word of God, so that they can take the values and teachings for their daily life.”
The Society for Relief and Development now partners with other organizations and over 60 local churches. They regularly meet to pray over everything they do and the women they serve. They also pray that they may reach women beyond the churches who have not heard the Gospel. Pray that the ministry may empower even more women in Pakistan.
Joseph says, “I believe that prayer is one of the strongest tools that we use for each and every activity, each and every task, that we want to do with the women.”
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Photo courtesy of The Society for Relief and Development.
