The Social Enterprise Development Centre (SEDC) at LUMS recently completed the Women’s Leaders’ Network (WLN) training programme under the National Leadership for Reproductive Health and Development (NLRHD) project funded by the David and Lucile Packard Foundation. Women Leaders’ Network was one of the major components of the (NLRHD) project. The aim of this programme was to mobilise women leaders for their future role to improve Family Planning and Reproductive Health (FPRH) issues in their respective sectors. It has gone through a four step process. In December, 2012 the first WLN meeting was organised to introduce the NLRHD project to the participants and to mobilise them to play their role in undertaking FPRH initiatives in their respective spheres. In April, 2013 SEDC fellows and sector-specific specialists belonging to the three sectors namely textiles, livestock and sports good nominated 25 women leaders for leadership development training programme under WLN. The women leaders belonged to various RH and social sectors of the government such as National Rural Support Programme, Baidarie NGO, CBL, Heartfile, Rahnuma-Family Planning Association etc.
On June 25, 2013 an orientation was held to prepare the women leaders for the upcoming programme. And finally from July 2-6, 2013, the Leadership Development Programme for Women Leaders was successfully conducted at LUMS. The programme was aimed at building the capacity of women leaders in the area of Strategic Alliances, Leadership, Communications and Family Planning and Reproductive Health.
An evaluation was conducted after the programme and a positive feedback was given by the participants. They found the training to be a good learning experience. In addition, the SEDC has decided to do a follow up on the progress of women leaders in order to help them strengthen the network to continue their work on FPRH issue to materialise a milestone change in society.
