Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates, has teamed up once again with the Monyati Initiative, an Abu Dhabi based non-profit social development organisation, to empower underprivileged women in Kashmir, Pakistan. Etihad Airways and Monyati donated sewing machines and sewing packages to the KDRC Vocational Sewing Centre for women. Set up in 2009 with support from Monyati, the KDRC Vocational Sewing Centre provides free education and vocational training to empower young Pakistani women to run their own small businesses. Sewing courses are offered to girls and young women to introduce them to the basics of sewing, cutting, hand stitching and embroidery. All courses are taught by certified teachers and last for six months. Upon the successful completion of their training, students are given a certificate and a sewing machine to embark on their own business venture.
Amer Khan, Etihad Airways’ General Manager in Pakistan, said: “Corporate and individual philanthropy is an important part of our CSR strategy. This project is a continuation of all our previous work in Pakistan and where we aim to empower these young women both socially and economically.” Monja Wolf, the founder and managing director of Monyati Initiatives, said: “We are pleased to partner up with Etihad Airways for this great cause. More than 500 young women have benefited from this course to date. We are delighted to have helped these young women gain the skills needed for them to be able to support themselves and their families, and even more importantly, helped them gain confidence and independence.” Etihad Airways has worked previously with the Monyati initiative on a number of projects to support underprivileged children and families in India, Brazil, Madagascar, Bangladesh, and Sudan.