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Akram Malish Shah, a retired army veteran, had the idea of setting up a vocational training centre for the women of Dain village as a response to the widespread unemployment of women in the Ishkoman area. Focusing on his village, he wanted to help women earn an income for their families by teaching them new skills. As in many remote societies, girls rarely progress beyond primary education because they are expected to help with domestic duties and eventually marry.
Initially, Akram found money to buy five second-hand, Chinese-made (very basic) manual sewing machines from the Pakistan Army and began teaching women sewing and dressmaking skills, while also learning how to make handicrafts. Business and marketing skills have also featured in this work. To date, more than 100 women have completed a basic training programme at the centre.
At first, working out of a small workshop, the women later went on to open a shop and run their own business, while also continuing to earn extra income sewing garments at home. During our visit in the summer of 2025, we met some of the women’s group, who shared their aspirations and hopes. Marta’s presence gave us the opportunity to relax with the women in the vocational centre.
In a culture with limited opportunities for girls, this centre provides a rare chance to develop new skills and, in doing so, improve the welfare of the whole area. The group shared their future hopes with us, expressing a wish to acquire better-quality electric industrial sewing machines, which would enable them to make significant advances in what they could manufacture.
At first, working out of a small workshop, the women later went on to open a shop and run their own business, while also continuing to earn extra income sewing garments at home. During our visit in the summer of 2025, we met some of the women’s group, who shared their aspirations and hopes. Marta’s presence gave us the opportunity to relax with the women in the vocational centre.
In a culture with limited opportunities for girls, this centre provides a rare chance to develop new skills and, in doing so, improve the welfare of the whole area. The group shared their future hopes with us, expressing a wish to acquire better-quality electric industrial sewing machines, which would enable them to make significant advances in what they could manufacture.
Leaving Ishkoman, the women of Dain left a powerful impression as we reflected on a visit that had been formative. We continued with the knowledge that we must somehow share our limited time there and do what we can to support the projects we have been privileged to witness. In many ways, we saw how a small community can potentially transform lives when given just a little extra help from the outside world.
Following our visit, later in August, the valley experienced the heaviest rains in a generation, leading to landslides, flooding, and widespread destruction of houses, schools, shops, and valuable fields. Vital communication links were badly damaged or destroyed, including key bridges and roads, and the women’s project lost their shop. It was devastating. This was the moment to support the women’s project as local communities struggled to rebuild. The Juniper Trust and the Ayub Hamdrad Foundation stepped in, and in November the Juniper Trust funded the purchase of heavy-duty electric sewing machines to help the women of the Dain Cooperative begin rebuilding their dream.
Penrith, Cumbria, UK
Registered Charity Number: 1053356
Charity Commission and Accounts
