{"id":215764,"date":"2024-11-13T17:12:54","date_gmt":"2024-11-13T17:12:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.internetsociety.org\/?page_id=215764"},"modified":"2025-08-27T19:04:37","modified_gmt":"2025-08-27T19:04:37","slug":"tackling-inequality-using-the-internet","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.internetsociety.org\/issues\/community-networks\/success-stories\/tackling-inequality-using-the-internet\/","title":{"rendered":"Girls in Rural Pakistan Are Tackling Inequality Using the Internet"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Girls in Rural Pakistan Are Tackling Inequality Using the Internet<\/h1>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/section>\n\n\n\n
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As Fatima Baloch exited her high school in rural Pakistan, she couldn\u2019t help thinking about her future. It was June 2022, near the school year\u2019s end, and her hopes weren\u2019t high. In her village, good jobs for women were scarce. Fatima wanted to work in an office, but without a higher education\u2014which her family couldn\u2019t afford\u2014it was out of the question.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Her only real options, for which she would earn around PKR 200 (US$ 1.00) per day, were to sew handmade items to sell at markets, cook and clean for a wealthy family, or work in the fields, harvesting cotton or wheat.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Making her way home, Fatima remembered what her teacher had said about the Internet. Universities in the capital offered scholarships, allowing young people to continue their education for free. Anyone with computer access and digital skills could find many such opportunities online. But Fatima\u2019s school had no computers, and leaving her village was next to impossible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Making her way home, Fatima remembered what her teacher had said about the Internet. Universities in the capital offered scholarships, allowing young people to continue their education for free. Anyone with computer access and digital skills could find many such opportunities online. But Fatima\u2019s school had no computers, and leaving her village was next to impossible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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A Beacon of Hope<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Several years before, in another part of Balochistan, the sociologist Qaisar Roonjha realized the Internet\u2019s potential to educate and empower the young people of rural Pakistan\u2014especially girls. Having noticed that his sisters had far fewer opportunities than he, only because they were girls, he was determined not only to bring the Internet to young people but also to close the gender divide.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2012, he founded Welfare Association for New Generation (WANG), a nonprofit serving marginalized youth through education and digital literacy initiatives. One of their main projects focused on mobilizing parents to enroll their daughters in school and securing funds for scholarships to make this easier for families. He soon saw that a more holistic approach involving parents and children alike would be key to sustainable progress.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cTo reach populations that would otherwise be left behind, we\u2019d decided to build a community network and activity center with something for everyone, no matter their age,\u201d Qaisar said. \u201cWith support from the Internet Society, we were now ready to take the next step.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In October 2022, in Fatima\u2019s community, Qaisar and his younger brother Aftab opened the doors to WANG Lab of Innovation (WALI), their new, state-of-the-art technology lab with a volunteer staff. Offering a strong Internet connection and various educational and training programs, it paved the way for opportunities that were previously unimaginable, such as learning to create a podcast or taking remote courses through prestigious universities abroad. Within the solar-powered WALI building\u2019s sky-blue walls, the community can now access the tools and skills they need to thrive in the 21st century, completely free of charge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cTo reach populations that would otherwise be left behind, we\u2019d decided to build a community network and activity center with something for everyone, no matter their age,\u201d Qaisar said. \u201cWith support from the Internet Society, we were now ready to take the next step.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In October 2022, in Fatima\u2019s community, Qaisar and his younger brother Aftab opened the doors to WANG Lab of Innovation (WALI), their new, state-of-the-art technology lab with a volunteer staff. Offering a strong Internet connection and various educational and training programs, it paved the way for opportunities that were previously unimaginable, such as learning to create a podcast or taking remote courses through prestigious universities abroad. Within the solar-powered WALI building\u2019s sky-blue walls, the community can now access the tools and skills they need to thrive in the 21st century, completely free of charge.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Empowering Women and Girls<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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In line with their initial motivations, Qaisar and Aftab designed everything with women and girls in mind. “We built the lab in a central location easily accessible by foot from several villages,” said Qaisar. \u201cSince women and girls can reach WALI on their own\u2026they\u2019re more willing to enroll in our programs.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The brothers also opened Kaka\u2019s Garden, a nearby public space offering a safe and comfortable environment for women\u2014men cannot enter except with their families on dedicated mixed-gender days. Kaka’s Garden is managed by the WANG community, particularly by Abdul Qadir, a dedicated volunteer. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

With a big smile, Qaisar explained the role this garden plays in their mission.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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When mothers visit it with their daughters, they notice the WALI building and get interested. By seeing other girls just like theirs going in to learn important skills, they become more likely to allow their own daughters to enroll.\u201d<\/div>