Empowering women through technology: Web development course at Ilm-un-Nisa
“No nation can ever be worthy of its existence that cannot take its women along with the men. No struggle can ever succeed without women participating side by side with men.” – Muhammad Ali Jinnah
One of our core missions at Empower Foundation is to uplift, educate and train women so they can achieve financial independence and become more empowered. Committed to this vision, our team recently joined hands with Ilm-un-Nisa – a vocational training institute for women in Karachi – to conduct a course on Web Development under the Empower Foundation Youth Enabler Program.
Technology has opened up many new avenues for women, including increased opportunities for employment and education. Unfortunately, digital literacy rate for women is significantly lower than that of men. To bridge this gap and promote women to pursue technical education, our team at Empower decided to teach students in-demand digital skills that will help them gain employment and achieve financial freedom.
Delivering accessible education
In our society, physical access to quality education for women is not always possible. Challenges such as family responsibilities and social restrictions prevent them from leaving their home for education and work. To solve this problem and make it easier for our students, we decided to deliver the course through a video-based model so our students could learn at their own pace from the comfort of their homes.
Our team of qualified teachers created a structured course covering HTML, CSS, JavaScript and WordPress. To make learning easier for our students, we taught them in their native language, provided comprehensive learning materials and gave regular assignments to put their knowledge into practice. Our teachers made sure to visit the institute on a weekly basis and meet the students in-person to solve their problems, clarify confusions and guide them one-on-one.
“Teaching less privileged students can be a challenging but rewarding experience. Teaching these students has taught me the importance of perseverance, patience, and empathy. It has also reminded me that everyone deserves access to a quality education, regardless of their background or circumstances.” – Maaz Ahmed Khan, Test Engineer @10Pearls, Course Instructor
Celebrating achievements: Graduation ceremony
We were proud to see our class of eight dedicated students successfully pass the final examinations and complete this rigorous course. We celebrated their achievement together by organizing a graduation ceremony at the Community Center in PNT Colony Gizri, Karachi.
“When we started out, some of the students did not even know how to attend a zoom call or save a file in a computer and now they can create a website easily using HTML, CSS, WordPress and JavaScript. I am extremely proud of this initiative and very overwhelmed with its success. We have changed so many lives!” – Shermeen Kiran, Senior Software Engineer @10Pearls, Course Instructor.
Celebrating the success of our students
After completing the course, one of our students, Bushra, moved on to become a teacher herself at the Ilm-un-Nisa Institue. Another student, Iqra continued her learning journey by exploring React JS and starting her own blog. As an organization dedicated to bringing a positive change, it is always fulfilling to see people thrive as a result of our efforts. We hope that our initiatives continue to improve other’s lives and open up new doors of opportunities for them.
About Our Youth Enabler Program
Empower Foundation’s Youth Enabler Program is designed particularly for underprivileged students who do not have access to quality education. Women, in particular, often face hurdles in education due to personal circumstances or limited mobility. The vision behind this program is to help capable students achieve their full potential so they are not held back due to societal pressures or financial constraints. Our program facilitates such students by providing flexible learning models, access to free online and video-based learning material, and one-on-one guidance from industry experts so they can learn marketable skills for meaningful employment.