Message from President Behbud
It is my belief that when you enable a woman to become financially independent, you empower her socially and politically too. Every penny earned by her is spent on her home and educating her children. The impact is instant.
Our History
Behbud is a name that stands for the support and strength for the women of Pakistan. It’s a non-profit social enterprise, entirely run by women volunteers, inaugurated in 1967 – is marked as one of the largest and oldest non-profit organization in Pakistan, providing employment to thousands of women for over fifty years. Now Behbud has blossomed into a movement that has empowered 5 generations of Pakistani women. Behbud focuses on three main projects, economic empowerment, education and health.
Our Vision
Empowering and ensuring the well-being of women & girls, their families and communities.
Our Mission
Self Sustainable Non profit Organisation
SKILL DEVELOPMENT
Behbud Association’s headquarters, set in the heart of Rawalpindi, is one of the largest hand embroideries unit in Pakistan. With a systematic recruitment process in place, we formally evaluate each individual woman’s craft know-how and artistic interests, and consequently begins a thorough training process for skill enhancement and refinement.
EDUCATION
From the very beginning, Behbud introduced the concept of home schools in communities where children were at risk of dangers such as abuse and exploitation. Currently with eight home schools in rural and urban slums located in Islamabad and Rawalpindi, Anjum Riyazul Haque, the Chairperson of the Education Committee at Behbud, explains that these schools were launched as a safe haven for unsupervised toddlers.
HEALTHCARE
We approach the subject of women’s health in a sensitive manner. This is because sexual and reproductive health is often considered taboo subjects due to a lack of awareness and guidance. It is for this reason that primary and reproductive healthcare has always been one of our greatest missions in women empowerment.
DISASTER RELIEF
We swiftly respond to catastrophic events through our extensive disaster relief work. During the 2005 earthquake, we rehabilitated affectees by spearheading the construction of 168 shelters in remote villages in the Abbottabad District, including the establishment of a rehabilitation center for the injured at our Lahore chapter.
Shop Our Book
Discover our full story by ordering our book; Embroidering Dreams - 50 Years of Empowering Women and Preserving the Craft of Needlework; that highlights women empowerment stories and needlecraft excellence; a catalogue of Behbud’s brilliance.