Women’s Economic Empowerment; Aizzah’s story

19-year-old Aizzah lives in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, with her parents and five siblings. Her father serves in the police force and works as a part-time property agent to provide additional financial support to the family.

Being financially independent was important to Aizzah. She joined the Enterprise Development through Digital Marketing training offered by partner AWF (Assessment with Facilitation) Private Limited, and supported by the British Asian Trust and Citi Foundation, because she wanted to start her own business and grow her own income instead of working as a salaried employee.

During the training, Aizzah learned how to market her henna skills, which she had previously earnt occasional income from through festive occasions such as Eid. The trainers motivated her to turn her skill into a profitable business and she was soon developing a business plan to grow and expand this as a business. She learnt marketing skills, professionalism and customer service skills.

After the training, she started earning a regular income of approximately PKR 13,000 per month (approximately £41).

Aizzah’s father was initially hesitant about her working outside the home but has supported her to establish her business after seeing her capabilities. Her mother is proud Aizzah can now manage her own expenses and be more independent. “In these challenging times, women need to stand side by side with men,” she said.

Aizzah now plans to expand her business by increasing her social media followers and updating her online profiles more regularly. She also plans to start blogging in the near future.

Aizzah is now so confident in what she is achieving, she is trying to convince her mother to start her own henna parlour!

Aizzah hopes to inspire other young women to pursue their dreams of entrepreneurship and is an inspiration to other women wanting to start their own business.

*Pound sterling figures approximate at the time of writing