Daily Times

Naseem is a beneficiary of the Nestlé BISP Rural Women Sales Program, a program that creates livelihood opportunities for deserving rural women and helps them become financially empowered. She earns an independent income and supports her family, but her story had challenges at every step.

Some time back, Naseem lost her son, who was an earning member of the family, and not only did she have to grieve the loss of a son, but this loss also came along with additional financial challenges because of a lesser earning hand in the family.

To support her husband and to make ends meet, Naseem opened a small grocery shop in her vicinity with limited products. During one of their visits to the village, the Nestlé team visited her and offered her a loan to procure healthy Nestlé products that she could sell to the community.

The Nestlé BISP Rural Women Sales Program was envisioned to provide livelihood opportunities to the poorest of the poor women, helping them become financially independent. Not only does this program empower women but is also aligned with Nestlé’s values of diversity for social impact and empowering women.

Under this program, rural women are trained on the fundamentals of sales, pricing and profit margin and are made aware of product nutritional benefits and methods of preparation and use. After this training, they become retailers (who own and sell at shops) or sales agents (who sell to shops as micro distributors, engage in door-to-door selling and sell products from their homes).

Nestlé extended PKR 2 million as revolving credit to Akhuwat Pakistan, (the largest interest-free microfinance program) to provide microloans to sales agents who, as a result, have opened their own shops in their villages. Till date, 200 microloans have been given with an average of PKR 15,000 per beneficiary.

This loan and expansion efforts resulted in an incremental income of Rs. 6000 per month on average, which Naseem now contributes to the household. Not only has she gained financial empowerment in the face of adversity but has also become a symbol of hope for many other women in her community who hope to become strong financially as well.

On this International Day of Rural Women, it is very important to remember and honor women like Naseem who are key agents for achieving sustainable development and contributing significantly to the economy and communities.