Shirkat Gah - Women's Resource Centre

Context

Initiated as a small voluntary women’s collective in Pakistan in 1975, Shirkat Gah (SG) has evolved into a leading women’s rights organisation that operates out of offices in Lahore, Karachi and Peshawar including its own facility in Lahore, and six new field stations across all four provinces.

Shirkat Gah is involved in 
  • implementation of reproductive health and rights programme at national level and establishing and consolidating networking with NGOs and CBOs, capacity building of CBO partners and community based groups, 
  • Community based monitoring, planning, facilitating and managing training and outreach activities as well as initiating and managing and handling research and documentation. 
  • Carry out solidarity actions in instances of human rights violations.
Website
www.shirkatgah.org
Area of Work
Karachi, Pakisthan
Contact Person
Dr. Tabinda Sarosh

Approaches to implementing Community monitoring/ accountability

  • Awareness raising at various levels. 
  • Identification of barriers. 
  • Sensitising local media to women’s health and rights issues. 
  • Sensitising different stakeholders. 
  • Lobbying with the local authority for ensuring supply. 
  • Liaison with Health Department. 
  • Capacity building of CBOs partners for proper monitoring and ensuring accountability of local health authority and service providers.

Results and Lessons

Improved knowledge and level of information on Health and Reproductive Health, Hepatitis, STDs among the community, The community now shows willingness and motivation to access health facilities more during pregnancy and delivery. Male part of the community becomes more sensitized towards the health issues of the women. Adolescent girls are now much more aware of their problems and consult more frequently with the health visitors and doctors of their area. Number of women getting TT vaccination has increased. The Shirkat Gah partners continued working actively in their respective areas. They had successful meetings with local bodies and government representatives to seek their support in overcoming the hurdles in their areas. Government health & population departments focus on women’s health issues. Strengthened partnership & linkages with local government and other institutions.