Ba-Ikhtiar Project

The Ba-Ikhtiar Project is a strategic collaboration between the Pakistan Poverty Alleviation Fund (PPAF) and PTCL designed to bridge the digital and financial divide for rural women entrepreneurs. By addressing critical barriers to technology and market access, the initiative facilitates a transformative shift from informal micro-enterprises to digitally enabled, sustainable businesses. Building on the success of a pilot phase that equipped young women in Haripur with technical skills and online market linkages, the project has now expanded into Phase II across 22 districts. This phase aims to empower 2,100 women by providing a comprehensive support ecosystem that includes vocational training, smartphones with dedicated connectivity, and intensive coaching in e-commerce and financial literacy. Participants gain the tools to manage mobile wallets, access microfinance, and leverage digital marketing to reach wider audiences. Beyond individual economic independence, Ba-Ikhtiar fosters long-term household resilience and contributes to global Sustainable Development Goals by integrating marginalised producers into the formal digital economy.

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BUDGET (Phase II)
PKR 283.5 million
 
DURATION
July 2025 - June 2026
 
PARTNERS
Punjab: ADO, AGAHE, CHEF, FACE, FDO, KWH, MOJAZ, PLYC, and RCDS

Sindh: AWARE, IET, MDF, MRDO, REPID, SCF, and SSSF

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa: CERD, GAAP, GBTI, HEADS, HVSO, NIDA PAK, SALIK, SUNGI, and TWO

Balochistan: BRDS, CPD, OCSD, WESS, WORDS Pakistan, YMSESDO, and YOUTH (YO)

Gilgit Baltistan: GBRSP
 
COVERAGE
Balochistan: Jaffarabad, Killa Saifullah, Quetta

Punjab: Layyah, Bahawalnagar, Bahawalpur, D.G.Khan, Rajanpur, Okara, Kasur, Rawalpindi

Sindh: Sanghar, Thatta, Umerkot

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa: Haripur, Abbottabad, Mardan, Swabi, Lower Chitral, Upper Chitral

Gilgit Baltistan: Ghizar, Nagar

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