There are 1.2 billion people who live on the margins of society, subsisting on less than $1 a day (UN report, 2000). More than one billion people – 90 per cent of the world’s self-employed poor – lack access to basic financial services, depriving them of the means to improve their incomes, secure their existence, and cope with emergencies. Providing financial services to poor people in developing countries can help transform their lives permanently and lift millions out of poverty each year (UN – International Fund for Agricultural Development – IFAD, 2004).

In Pakistan about 24% of the total population is living below poverty line, while 7.7% people are unemployed (Pakistan Economic Survey 2007-08). To contribute towards poverty alleviation and creation of employment opportunities Muslim Aid Pakistan initiated Economic Empowerment Program.

To contribute towards poverty alleviation through Human Resource Development and provision of access to financial services, Muslim Aid initiated Economic Empowerment Programme (EEP) in Pakistan in 2007. . Under EEP we are implementing “Micro-Enterprise Development Projects” (MEDP) in Rawalpindi and Chakwal. Similarly, skills development centers with brand name of  “Muslim Aid Hunerkada” in Karachi, Chakwal and Jared were established.
In Hunerkada we are providing various sellable skills to young people especially women. After acquiring the skills they can either start some micro-enterprise or get some job.

This program comprised of two components