Assisting women with documentation issues.
"I was so demoralized by the response from the officers at NADRA my husband and I decided not to try again as it was a waste of money and effort."
The village Kucha Syedan is situated in Union Council (UC) Hattian and consists of around 100 households. The village is approximately 12 kilometers away from the district headquarters, located on Srinagar road. Fazal Hussain Bibi wife of Meer Shah, who has three daughters and one son, live in Kucha Syedan. Her husband earns his and his family living through farming activities. Her family’s monthly income is around $75 a month, which is not sufficient for a six-member family to have three-time food for a month.
She had visited National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) office twice for her Computerized National Identity Card (CNIC) but was unable to register as she didn’t have the documents required for the CNIC registration. She was so demoralized by the response from the officers at NADRA. She and her husband decided not to try again as it was a waste of money and effort.
During the mobilization meeting held in Kucha Syeda by the Roshan Youth Welfare Organization (RYWO) team, Fazal Hussain Bibi was identified along with other women who did not possess CNIC. She was guided by the team and assisted with the registration process. Fazal Hussain Bibi expressed her delight and explained how difficult it had been for her to travel all the way to the NADRA office and achieve no results. Furthermore, she thanked the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), Aurat Foundation (AF), and the RYWO team for resolving her problem and was of the opinion that the program should continue its work in rural areas.
“Before attending the meeting, I was unaware of the benefits of a CNIC. I applied for the financial aid services of several governmental and Non-Governmental Organizations (NGO) but never received any assistance due to the non-availability of a CNIC.”
“At this age, I am unable to bear more as I have already paid a huge cost for not having CNIC. In our culture, women rarely go to school and cast vote, and one of the reasons for this all is poverty” shared Saforah.
” I never thought that I could get my CNIC at the age of 63, and it would be a hassle-free. Now, I am very enthusiastic about casting my first-ever vote in the upcoming elections.”
“CNIC registration could cost us more than PKR 5000 (approx. $45) as we don’t have any CNIC registration center in our tehsil. The cost is equal to the cost of half month groceries, which I didn’t want to lose.”