Our Vision
To steer women to understand their strengths and abilities, and use them to explore and pursue their passions.
Our Mission
To empower women with confidence, courage, and motivation needed to follow their dreams and fulfil their ambitions.
Who we are
Inspiring Women is an organisation that engages, encourages and empowers girls and young women with different skills and opportunities. Through various initiatives, the organisation acts as an integrator and helps girls and young women to step from education to employment, be financially included and kickstart their careers.
Inspiring Women recognises that there are knowledge and access gaps regarding young women and opportunities. By acting as a conduit / systems integrator for young women and opportunities, we endeavour to cover the gap that exists in empowering women and hope to encourage women to become active members of society. In addition, Inspiring Women through its workshops and programs, equips girls and young women with the confidence and skillset they need to pursue their dreams. Our goal is to enable young girls to find their strengths, believe in their abilities and inspire them to pursue their ambitions.
What we do
Inspiring Women collaborates with colleges and universities in Pakistan to provide skills & motivational sessions to young and college going girls. We recognise that there is a disconnect between educational institutions and employers. Inspiring women wishes to bridge this gap by conducting development and skills-based training. These trainings are conducted through workshops/seminars and our internship programs.
The organisation also focuses on increasing the inclusion of young women in the financial sphere by imparting knowledge and teaching simple yet practical steps that allow women to gain a financial identity. Inspiring Women conducts skill-based trainings that enable women to increase their capacity, to break cultural / gender barriers and increase their access and build their know-how in finance.
The organisation also conducts skill and capacity building workshops for girls and young women looking to kickstart their careers. The idea is to provide trainings that enable young girls to overcome the many obstacles they face that hinder their growth and potential as well as allowing them to be economically empowered members of society.
Inspiring Women aims for girls and young women to use our platform as a stepping stone towards the direction they wish to take in life!
Why Are We Needed
Pakistan is a developing economy with a low rate of inclusion of women in the economic sphere. For Pakistan to reach its full economic potential and become a global player, certain changes will need to take place. One of the highlighted and most stressed upon prerequisites is an increase in the skill and participation of women in the workforce. It indicated that 36% of employers (across 9 countries) reported that lack of skills causes significant entry-level vacancies. It also points out that education providers, the youth and employers all live in parallel universes as they have little engagement which gives little insight on what they expect from one another. Inspiring Women aims to bridge these gaps between girls/ young women, education institutions and employers.
In addition, women in Pakistan have a very low inclusion in the financial sphere in the world – approximately 7 percent of the women are considered to be financially included. Financial inclusion of women is critical for women to realize their economic rights and for their empowerment. By imparting knowledge and removing barriers to access, Inspiring Women aims to enable women to build a financial identity and be active members of society.
The lack of women in the Pakistani workforce creates a cycle that perpetuates an adverse working environment for women. This absence of participation keeps women from realizing their true potentials and from contributing to society. It is our hope that an increase in women participation in the workforce will not only improve their overall welfare, but also change the way Pakistani society functions; increase its economic prosperity and the manner it will continue to evolve in the future.
Meet The Team
Abida Mukhtar
Founder & Executive Director
Abida Mukhtar is the Founder and CEO of Inspiring Women, an organisation that engages, encourages and empowers girls and young women with different skills and opportunities. Through various initiatives, the organisation acts as an integrator and helps girls and young women to step from education to employment, be financially included and kickstart their careers.
Ms. Mukhtar is a financial consultant by profession, and brings with her, 12 years of experience in corporate turnaround and restructuring. She has exposure in various sectors – ranging from financial services, retail, healthcare, public sector and agribusiness. Currently, Ms. Mukhtar is the Chief Executive Officer of Super Bird (Pvt) Limited and the Chief Executive Officer at Dar-Es-Salaam Textiles Mills Limited in Lahore. She has also worked as financial Associate for Alvarez and Marsal, in London, United Kingdom.
Ms. Mukhtar earned a bachelor’s degree in Economics with honours from Smith College, USA and a Master’s degree in International Political Economy from London School of Economics, UK.
Khadijah Ajmeri
Director of Programs
Ms. Ajmeri is responsible for overseeing all ongoing programs and partnerships at Inspiring Women Pakistan.
She was born and brought up in Karachi and has completed her Bachelors in Textile Design from Indus Valley School of Art and Architecture.
With more than five years of dedicated volunteer work with various global organizations, Ms. Ajmeri discovered a strong commitment to contributing to society, ultimately transforming her passion into a full-time career.
She affectionately refers to herself as a part-time artist, indulging in occasional creative pursuits using diverse mediums and techniques.
Sehrish Rathore
Director of Communications
Ms. Rathore is responsible for ensuring the smooth operations of Inspiring Women and managing internal and external communications.
She is passionate about women’s empowerment and helping women utilize their full potential. She has over 5 years of experience in the dynamic world of freelancing and Corporate Communication.
Ms. Rathore is from Azad Jammu & Kashmir and has a B.S. in International Relations and an M.Phil in South Asian Studies from Lahore College for Women University and the University of Punjab, respectively.
When she is not immersed in work, she can be found indulging her inner history, architecture, and anthropology nerd by binge-watching or reading period pieces. Her dream travel year is touring ancient cities, museums, and libraries around the world.
Ramsha Javed
Social Media Manager
Ramsha has always been passionate about doing something for the youth of Pakistan. She has pursued her Bachelor’s Degree in Humanities and Social Sciences from Bahria University Islamabad. She opted for Development Studies as her major because the core of the subject harmonized with the domain she wanted for her career. Ramsha’s interest has always been deep and powerful about doing something for those who lack access to basic rights. She has worked at Inventive Leads Pvt. Limited, a career consultancy firm, is currently pursuing free-lancing and is a Social Media Manager at Inspiring Women Pk. Ramsha is a young individual who is trying her best to contribute towards making a better society in every way possible!
Zakhar Habib
Web Developer / Technical Manager
Zakhar Habib is the Web Developer at Inspiring Women and is involved in the graphic designing of the content required and media planning activities carried out at Inspiring Women Pk.
Zunaira Shabbir
Graphic Designer
Zunaira Shabbir is the graphic designer at Inspiring Women Pakistan. Currently pursuing my Bachelors in IT at Virtual University, she holds numerous certifications and extensive experience of 4+ years in the field also serving as a graphic instructor teaching design to almost 300 students. Ms. Zunaira specializes in boosting brands and individuals, ensuring greater visibility and success through personal branding.
Beyond the realm of pixels and vectors, her greatest joy lies in helping others discover their strengths and reach their full potential. Whether it’s a colleague, a student, or a client, she is passionate about contributing to their success journey.