The Community Infrastructure Improvement Project (CIIP) aimed to empower disadvantaged rural women in Pakistan by providing them jobs maintaining roads and training in life and business skills. The project employed 1875 women across 5 districts in Sindh Province from 2010 to 2015. It used a rotating two-year cycle where women gained work experience and skills to eventually start their own businesses. This empowered many illiterate rural women economically and socially, giving them incomes and helping send their children to school. Monitoring found that the project achieved its goals of employing women and strengthening local government institutions' support for gender issues.

1. The Community Infrastructure Improvement Project (CIIP).
The Project goal was to enable rural women in the target areas to become economically and socially empowered. Canadian International Development Agency-CIDA
supported a Women Empowerment Project “The Community Infrastructure Improvement Project” (CIIP) through CARE in Pakistan in 2 provinces Punjab & Sindh through 2
different local prominent NGOs. Takhleeq Foundation implemented in Sindh. Community Infrastructure Improvement Project (CIIP) aims to providing an innovative idea for
alleviating poverty, empowering most disadvantaged rural women and linkaging women in Local Government Institutions for sustainable development in Sindh. It was
started in 2010 and modeling on a two-year rotating cycle that enables women to gain confidence working outside the home, gain an income, acquire necessary life skills,
with start-up capital & initiate entrepreneurship activities. Ideally, these women will exit from the project as self-employed given the skills and training they acquired
through the project. Implementation of CIIP “Community Infrastructure Improvement Project” In 5 districts Mirpurkhas, Tando Allayaar, Thatta, Ghotki & Kambar
Shahdadkot of Sindh Province of Pakistan, in 50 Union Councils creating 1875 direct employment opportunities. The project model is based on a two-year rotating cycle
that enables women to gain confidence working outside the home, gain an income, acquire necessary life skills, generate start-up capital, and initiate entrepreneurship
activities. Thus this project aims at providing a solid solution to alleviating poverty, empowering disadvantaged rural women.
“The most courageous act is still to think for yourself……. Aloud. Above all, be the heroine of your life, not the victim.”
Selection from most disadvantaged rural women, widows, separated or husband with disabilities, focusing no bread earning homes:
In these five districts of Sindh Pakistan living standards are worse, where 75% of the population of these rural areas is living in abject poverty, hopelessness &
miserable conditions, whereas women in rural Sindh along with prevailing poverty, she face strong gender discrimination, fragile segmentation, cultural taboos in poverties
faces every type of oppression, maltreatment & harassment. It establishes even at the time a baby is born as undesired component/human being & seems getting stronger
with disgust thus she experience multiple forms of discrimination as they are both discriminated on the basis of caste and gender, therefore continue to be extremely
vulnerable circumstances, subject to severe unbearable discrimination and physical assaults. Women meant for to follow men absolutely, domestic work in harsh condition,
fulfill sexual need, reproduction, childrearing, individual born for unpaid labor and to die illiterate because useless life. Start Date: May 2010.End Date: October 2015
Sun , labor & changing life styles…….Uneducated idle women to educated working women "A strong woman understands that the gifts such
as logic, decisiveness, and strength are just as feminine as intuition and approachable connection. She values and uses all of her gifts."
The nature of work to maintain link roads, known as RMTs (Road Maintenance team members) nearby to their houses, to make streamline their routine as working women
because they were uneducated & never worked before nor comfortable for going out individually, can bring social change an undesired unproductive human being can be
earning hands thus may bring them out of deprivation.

2. Modeling on a two-year group rotating cycle maintain linkage roads from village to main Roads, that enables women to gain confidence working outside the home, gain an
income, feel empowerment it is their earned own money not charity, acquire necessary life skills, with start-up capital & initiate entrepreneurship activities. Project
implementation by a NGO, Salaries distribution & a certain percentage salary deduction their Earning savings for initiating capital for their business managed by a Bank.
CIIP Staff turned these Illiterate Rural Women Getting literate to manage their Business
CIIP Staff In field, Grooming, Mentoring & Coaching of these newly Graduates Personnel. Analysis & Assessment of capacities & Skill Judgment skill & Capacity Building
Unconscious incompetence, Conscious incompetence, Conscious competence & Unconscious competence.
“A woman is the full circle. Within her is the power to create, nurture and transform.” Staff training to transform to elegance to shine these Jewels.
Women whom we want to empower & Staff…Together we are stronger, our voices louder and the synergy of our action more powerful for Women Empowerment. For
Program management, Staff work plans & target ahead

3. SOCIAL CHANGE OF THE ILLITERATE RURAL WOMEN TO BETTER ENTREPRENEUR. INDIVIDUAL BUSINESSES & GROUP BUSSINESS
CHANGE & JOY IN THEIR LIVES, FEELINGS OF EMPOWERMENT & THEIR CHILDREN GOING SCHOOLS
Project Activities:
 Technical training to the Road Management Team (RMT) on quality, quantity of road maintenance and Training on Group Formation and Team Building.
 Facilitate life skills development training.
 Provide basic business management training to the RMT crew women. Establish links with district administration, local governments, micro-credit institutions,
skills training centers and business development centers
 Organize and conduct program orientation for local governments and Community Based Organizations (CBOs)

4. Linkaging to larger markets from Local market access to International markets
For better price
CREATING LEADERSHIP FROM THEMSLVES
Mobilization, Leadership, & Women Empowerment Community Infrastructure Improvement Project - CIIP
Giving voices for their rights generating leadership from inside and demanding their rights.
Got able to run & manage their own campaign for their Issues

5. MONITORING & EVALUATION OF COMMUNITY INFRASTRUCTURE IMPROVEMENT PROJECT BY DONORS REACHING INDIVIDUAL BENIFICIARIES
Continuous monitoring & evaluation of project results of CIDA, CARE Canada & CIDA hired local consultants & monitors were engaged throughout& access to every
individual beneficiaries
What CIIP wants to Achieve:
 Enable women in targeted rural areas to become economically and socially empowered.
 Employment creation for approximately 1875 rural destitute women in Sindh .
 Engage local women in maintenance of rural earthen roads and community infrastructures (up to 6,000km) Provide life skills training to participants.
 Strengthen capacity of local government institutions at the local and district levels to sensitize those regarding gender and development issues.

6. ADVOCACY OF COMMUNITY INFRASTRUCTURE IMPROVEMENT PROJECT- CIIP
“There is no tool for development more effective than empowerment of women”
Awareness of Program and issues & Concerns of these women specially and Violence against Women in General in Province in local Print & Electronic Media.
Signing Ceremony of Memorandum of Understanding-MOU Takhleeq Foundation-CARE-Ministry of Women Development-Sindh
COMMUNITY INFRASTRUCTURE IMPROVEMENT PROJECT- CIIP
Bi Annually Takhleeq Foundation's Provincial Advisory Meetings to access progress quality of work according to logical frame work of CIIP.