MIRPURKHAS: Two non-governmental organizations have launched a poetry initiative in Sindh to raise awareness about climate change and gender-based violence.
Community groups were trained on Shah Latif’s melodies of Surmeen (brave women) by Suajg Sansar Organization (SSO), with support from Pathfinder, in five-day sessions in Mirpukhas. The sessions, conducted at village Bhagat Bhoora Lal, District Mirpurkhas, focused on climate change, Gender-Based Violence (GBV), and women’s health.
Ustad Ameer Ali, the music trainer, said that Shah Latif’s Surmeen (brave women) poetry and music were applied for the first time in Pakistan to convey a strong message through music on the critical topics of climate change, women’s health, and GBV. These groups will raise awareness in the community with a strong, effective, and intriguing message.
Mashooque Birahmani, CEO of Suajg Sansar Organization, stated that climate change is impacting people’s lives through extreme events like floods and heatwaves, with temperatures reaching 52 degrees in some Sindh districts this year. He added that climate change exacerbates women’s vulnerability, leading to increased violence against women and aggravated women’s health.
Karim Mangi of Pathfinder said that SSO and Pathfinder collaborated under the Surmi Project to sensitize vulnerable communities and raise awareness to reduce GBV and improve women’s health. For the first time, they are utilizing Shah Abdul Latif Bhitai’s rich poetry, through its surmeens (brave women), to make the message strong and culturally rich for the audiences.
Um-E-Aiman said that through these sessions, the leadership skills of the trainee women would be groomed, and these women leaders would work as champions and change agents to address climate change.