CHINAR’s Functional Literacy Programme Empowers Women Across Kashmir

SRINAGAR: On two quiet afternoons each week, the wooden stairs of a rundown house in Pamposh Colony, Palpora, creak under familiar footsteps. Fifteen women climb to a cramped attic brightened with colourful drawings and handmade posters. Here, in a tiny Community Learning Centre launched by CHINAR International under its Parvaaz Program, they sit shoulder to shoulder for an hour of functional literacy that is slowly changing their lives.

Three teachers take turns guiding them through lessons that touch every corner of daily life. In thirty classes so far, they have learned to keep track of household finances, read expiry dates on medicine bottles and sign their own names. The forty-class course is compact but rigorous, designed to give practical skills that matter every day.

The programme began as a pilot in Pamposh Colony, Palpora, and, after an encouraging response, expanded to Baramulla and Kulgam. At all three CLCs, the functional literacy classes are running successfully, catering to 35 women with almost no dropouts.

Community mobiliser Kulsoom went door to door to gather the first batch. The aim was “to empower illiterate mothers through practical education so that they could face everyday challenges with confidence,” she said. The program now helps women make household decisions, budget wisely and understand child development.

Naseema and Laali, both 35, always sit together. They share wit, humour and a tendency to copy from each other. Naseema’s sister had recently lost her house and belongings to a fire, and Naseema had to be with her. Her performance at the CLC suffered. “I forget letters sometimes and copy from her. I always told my kids not to copy, but I do it myself, then,” she chuckles.

Naseema has her family’s full support, but Laali heard only discouraging words from the women in her own family. “What will it do to you in this age. Focus on the education of your children,” they told her. Laali remained determined because her husband supported her. “When the same women see me studying with my kids and we are helping each other with homework, they remain silent.” Whatever Laali learns, she has also taught her husband.

Meema (42) is deeply thankful for the opportunity and believes it has helped her understand her children and their anxieties better. Earlier, when her children tried to talk to her about stress related to studies, she would brush them off as lame excuses. Now she realises the pressure of exams is real. “When I had to appear in the examination here, I could not focus on cooking and household work. Then I understood what my children must be going through during their exam time.” She recently felt proud when a bank clerk asked for her thumb impression on a document, but she chose to sign instead.

These women can now write English letters, numbers and do basic addition. “Our goal is to teach them things that they can use in their day-to-day activities. Like traffic signals, road signs, weights and measurements etc.,” says CLC instructor Ulfat Farooq.

Fehmeeda, 40, struggles to remember her lessons and regrets not taking her studies seriously earlier. She believes a little more effort from her parents would have made a big difference. She is now determined to go the extra mile to give her daughter an education at the right time. “Studying in childhood is different. The mind is fresh, and there are no responsibilities. Right now, I have a thousand things to worry about,” she says.

Nazima Bilal, 31, helps her husband run their small grocery store in the colony. She used to memorise the transactions that her husband would later enter in their log book. Life has become much easier since she learned numeracy. Now she maintains the logbook herself. “I do not only do it manually but also use a calculator.”

Another instructor, Asiya Ali, says the organisation will soon devise a syllabus for an advanced course where these women will get advanced English, mathematics and social science classes.
The women are very satisfied and believe the classes not only fill their time but also make them aware of things they would otherwise never know. “If anyone on the phone asks me for my bank details, I will immediately understand it is a scam call. This was not the case before.”

Rashida, 26, is the youngest and brightest of all and attends every session while carrying her two little girls along. She is in the middle of a math task when her baby starts crying. Seeing the mother struggle, another woman offers help and cradles her daughter in her lap.

There is only one dropout at the centre who has some eye issues and whose doctor has prohibited her from reading or writing for some time. She comes to the CLC heartbroken because she does not want to leave her studies midway. The instructor assures her that she will be accommodated in the next batch, where she can make up for her missed classes.

Through functional literacy, CHINAR International empowers illiterate women to become agents of change, transforming their lives and communities by equipping them with the skills, confidence and vision to shape a better future.