Advancing Female Literacy and Empowerment in Pakistan and India through Life Writing Project
The project on ‘Advancing Female Literacy and Empowerment in Pakistan and India through Life Writing Project’ (2019) was initiated by Professor Siobhan Lambert-Hurley, University of Sheffield (UK), and supported by Global Challenges Research Fund (GRCF, UK). Forman Christian College University as the lead partner developed bilingual (English and Urdu) beautifully illustrated story booklets for Pakistani children ages 9-12 years. The stories highlighted female role models, mostly contemporary Pakistani females, except one that depicted a historical female figure of the subcontinent. There were other partners for the project including national (BUNYAD, an NGO) and international (UK and India). Due to COVID, the 9-month project was completed in 2021. These books were donated to the lead partners and other civil society organizations, specifically those working with underprivileged communities. Special effort was made to send the storybooks to the contemporary role models (who were the focus of these stories) or their families (except for the one on a historical figure). For broader dissemination of this project, these storybooks for children are accessible online via the link below. These books are not for commercial use.