HYDERABAD: Sindh Community Foundation (SCF) has launched the Women Economic Empowerment Fund (WEEF), positioning it as Pakistan’s first anticipatory climate risk and shock resilience fund dedicated exclusively to women.
The Fund aims to safeguard livelihoods, reduce climate vulnerability, and enable year-round economic resilience for women in climate-affected districts of Sindh.
Speaking to Business Recorder, Javed Hussain, Executive Director of SCF, said climate change has turned rural poverty into a year-round crisis and that women are hit first and hardest during floods, heat waves, and off-seasons. He noted that WEEF is a practical local response focused on strengthening women’s economic leadership and faster recovery from climate shocks.Rural women are central to Sindh’s local economy through embroidery, food preservation, livestock management, poultry rearing, and home-based enterprises. Yet their contribution remains under-supported due to limited access to finance, markets, technology, and business development services.
Rising inflation and recurring climate shocks including floods, droughts, cyclones, and heat waves continue to erode incomes and productive assets. Seasonal agricultural slowdowns add further pressure, leading to food insecurity, debt, school dropouts, and distress migration. Despite bearing the brunt of climate impacts, women are frequently excluded from recovery financing and long-term resilience mechanisms.
Hira Arain, Managing Director of the Women Economic Empowerment Fund said, WEEF has been designed to close this gap as a fast, flexible, and locally governed financial mechanism. In its initial phase, the Fund will support over 2,000 women through climate-resilient and green enterprises, off-season income generation, and rapid post-disaster livelihood recovery. The model bypasses conventional banking barriers, complex procedures, and short project cycles that often exclude rural women.
“WEEF is grounded in evidence and community experience.”
“Through SCF’s pilot initiatives, we have already supported 100 women to establish rural and green businesses and trained more than 1,026 women in livelihood and enterprise skills. This Fund formally scales what works—combining accessible finance, skills, mentoring, and market linkages.”
“Our focus is year-round income and rapid recovery,” she added. “WEEF provides tiered, interest-free seed support and a dedicated Climate Risk & Shock Resilience Window so women can stabilize quickly after disasters and continue earning with dignity.”
Under WEEF, women will receive tiered seed grants ranging from PKR 70,000 to PKR 100,000 to start, stabilize, and expand small and green businesses. Key investment areas include climate-resilient skills development, accessible interest-free seed capital, a dedicated Climate Risk & Shock Resilience Window, and post-disaster recovery support.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2026
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