HARIPUR, Nov 29: District Nazim Raja Aamir Zaman inaugurated on Sunday a two-day hunarmand mela and exhibition of products here.

The event has been arranged by the Enterprise Development Forum (EDF) called Badbaan, in collaboration with the Sarhard Rural Support Programme, (SRSP) in connection with the Empowerment through Entrepreneurship Development (EED) project.

Artisans and enterprise activists, including women from different parts of the district, have put on display multi-design handicrafts, stitch work, woodwork, woollen shawls, thread work, glasswork, bed sheets and cushions.

Speaking on the occasion, the district nazim assured the entrepreneurs of the district government's full support to such activities. He said a time had come to start looking for new markets for Pakistani products.

He lauded the efforts of the SRSP management and other organizations in holding the exhibition. Speaking on the occasion, Mian Abbasi of Baadban said artisans and enterprise activists of the SRSP and others were offered an opportunity to market their products and earn a better living.

He said that women workers were being trained by the SRSP and other non-governmental organizations in this regard. Meanwhile, a press release issued in Peshawar on Sunday said a huge number of people visited the fair and evinced keen interest in products put on display.

They also admired artisans for their efforts to make different products that would go a long way in ensuring sustainable development. The event, which was organized as a follow-up of one-year of the Badbaan forum, was aimed at empowering local people by promoting trade initiatives at the local level with the help of local workers.

In the first phase, under the programme, some 14 activists were trained as master trainers who subsequently provided training to over 72 villagers. The initiative was taken by the enterprise development section of the Sarhad Rural Support Programme.

Rural Support Programme Network chief Shoaib Sultan and District Nazim Dr Raja Aamir Zaman visited the stalls and appreciated the spirit of the local entrepreneurs for their efforts to develop their products at the national as well as world level.

"We are proud that our products were introduced at world level," said a woman participant, adding that her work was introduced in countries including India. She said the Sarhard Rural Support Programme helped her improve her skills and opened new avenues of development for people like her. Various stalls, including embroidery, woodwork, toys and dresses attracted people in large numbers.

Mrs Safdar Shah, an elderly woman, said that she wanted the marketing of her products in foreign markets as her products were also demand in the Gulf. "My work has improved after going through the training of the SRSP," said Gulzar Bibi, an activist of the forum.

Shahnaz Kapadia Rahat, CEO of the Empowerment Through Creative Interaction, said the idea behind the project was to create awareness among people to find ways and means for improving their life on a self-help basis. "We only motivate and identify the potential areas and it is up to them to seize the opportunity," she said, and hoped that people of the area would take benefit from it.