SOC, ITA conduct storytelling, film workshops

Karachi: SOC Films, spearheaded by Academy Award winner Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, andIdara-e-Taleem-o-Aagahi (ITA) collaborative flagship program, focusing on girls’ education titled ‘Advancing Actionof Adolescent Girls’ [‘Siyani Sahelian’], culminates with a series of film screenings in South Punjab.

With  ‘Siyani Sahelian’,  SOC   Films  and  ITA  aimed  to   tackle   gender inequality  for disadvantaged  out  of schooladolescent girls (aged 9-19) in three districts of South Punjab, including Muzaffargarh, Bahawalpur and Rahim YarKhan.

“It is extremely important to empower girls who are unable to complete their education with life skills so that they havethe ability to stand on their own two feet. With our collaboration with ITA we were able to reach more than fifteenhundred girls. Using films, we provided them critical information about nutrition, health and self awareness, teachingthem how to be economically and socially responsible. 
These girls are often forgotten but if educated and empoweredthey can be the backbone of Pakistan’s economy.” said Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy about the collaboration with ITA.For   this   6-month   long   collaborative   program,  SOC   Films  produced   five   short   animated   films   targeting   youngadolescent   girls   highlighting   the   issue   of   hygiene   during   mensuration,   financial   literacy,   nutrition,   importance   ofeducation for girls and self-awareness. 
These five films were taken to over 60 towns and villages including ITA hubson a fully equipped Mobile Cinema where films on child abuse, bonded labor, child marriage, diversity and toleranceand civic responsibility were also screened.During the program, SOC Films also conducted ‘Storytelling & Filming’ workshops with the students. 

The SOC Filmsteam, spearheaded by Safyah Usmani, Murtaza Ali, Sidra Tul Muntaha and Mukarram Khan, spent time teaching thestudents how to create films on mobile phones. Many of the young women were able to, for the first time, articulatewhat their lives were like focusing on their hopes and dreams for their villages, towns and for Pakistan. 

Over thirty-fiveshort films were created out of the workshops and later exhibited in Muzzaffargarh, Rahimyar Khan and Bhawalpur. “Giving agency to adolescent girls through a powerful and contemporary medium of mobile cinema and animations iscritical in the digital age. 

This aspect was conceived at the very outset of the SS initiative embedded in the life skills strand of the program for all 22,000+ adolescent girls. We, at ITA, are delighted that SOC films became our learningsolutions partner. It is through such collaborations that the SS can be scaled up with strong outcomes across thecountry   to   reach   millions   of   girls;   enabling   their   unmet   needs   for   expression   and   empowerment.”  saidBaela8Raza8Jamil, CEO Idara-e-Taleem-o-Aghahi (ITA).SOC Films  hopes to continue to implement sustainable community engagement programs to positively impact thelives of Pakistani youth.