GIRLS Inspire: Femme Creatif exhibition

COL’s GIRLS Inspire initiative promotes gender equality and women’s empowerment through skills development for livelihoods. Empowered women and girls are key drivers of sustainable development.

In collaboration with its many partners, COL is training women and girls of marginalised communities in developing Commonwealth countries in technical skills, life skills and financial and digital literacy. These abilities facilitate their access to credit for selfe-mployment and link them to job opportunities. Women and girls are connected with potential employment opportunities through various channels, including internships, employment camps and exhibitions.

For example, two of COL’s partners, the Society for the Protection of the Rights of the Child, Pakistan, and the Women Development Centre, Sri Lanka, recently facilitated womens’ and girls’ participation in the Behbud Art and Craft Bazaar in Islamabad, Pakistan, and the Femme Creatif exhibition in Kandy, Sri Lanka. The exhibitions showcased the work of GIRLS Inspire and told the stories of marginalised women and girls who have excelled in their own lives and contributed to their communities. Participants conversed with artisans, organisations, entrepreneurs, potential employers and consumers.