Social Cooperation Initiative - SCI

20/08/2026

In Tharparkar, keeping girls in school is helping create pathways away from early child marriage. 🌱📚

Social Cooperation Initiative - SCI, in partnership with READ Foundation UK, is working to tackle early child marriage by helping girls stay in education, strengthening families, and supporting communities to challenge harmful social norms.

With schools now reopened after the summer break, girls are returning to their classrooms, supported by intensive door-to-door outreach and the collective efforts of parents, teachers, community and religious leaders, Child Marriage Watch Groups, and SCI field teams.

Through this partnership:
✨ 900 girls have enrolled in formal schools, with more than 90% maintaining regular attendance
✨ 100 girls are continuing their education through Non-Formal Learning Spaces, with 100% passing their Package A final assessment
✨ Communities are increasingly supporting girls’ education and challenging harmful practices

🎥 Watch how this work is making a difference in the lives of girls and their communities: https://youtu.be/95f93es3PsI?si=3TW8t8ewq6nAS1lp

Behind every number is a girl who is learning, building confidence, and imagining a different future.

Together, SCI and READ Foundation UK are helping girls stay in school, continue learning, and have greater choice over their futures.

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06/07/2026

Education transform future!

13/06/2026

Social Cooperation Initiative - SCI is proud to begin contributing learner data to Pakistan’s Non-Formal Education Management Information System (NFE-MIS), an important step toward strengthening the visibility, recognition, and tracking of non-formal education learners across the country.

This milestone reflects SCI’s commitment to transparency, accountability, and evidence-based programming. By contributing to the national education information system, we are helping ensure that the progress of learners from some of the most marginalized communities is documented, recognized, and used to strengthen educational planning and decision-making.

It is a great honor to support girls from the remote and underserved areas of Tharparkar in completing their non-formal education journey and creating new opportunities for learning, empowerment, and a brighter future.
We sincerely appreciate the dedication of our learners, teachers, community members, and our valued partners in the Department of Literacy and Non-Formal Education, Government of Sindh. We are also grateful to READ Foundation UK for their continued support in advancing this important mission.

Learn more about NFE-MIS: https://www.nfemis.net/Default.aspx #
Together, we are ensuring that every girl has the opportunity to learn, thrive, and contribute to her community.

20/05/2026

Social Cooperation Initiative - SCI participated in the Inter-Agency Validation Workshop on Gender-Based Violence (GBV) Standard Operating Procedures and Referral Pathway, organized by UNFPA Pakistan in collaboration with Pakistan.

The workshop provided a valuable platform for stakeholders to strengthen coordination, review referral mechanisms, and enhance survivor-centered approaches for GBV response and protection services.

Special appreciation to the team for organizing such a wonderful and insightful workshop and for bringing together key stakeholders to strengthen protection and safeguarding mechanisms. It was truly a meaningful learning and networking opportunity.

18/05/2026

Social Cooperation Initiative - SCI Tharparkar Office organized a Training of Trainers on Safeguarding and Complaints Handling Mechanisms for staff members.
The training session was conducted by the READ Foundation UK team, led by Ms. Shazia Naveed, Global Safeguarding and Child Protection Advisor.
SCI extends sincere thanks and appreciation to the READ Foundation UK team for conducting such a wonderful, informative, and impactful session. The training greatly contributed to strengthening staff capacity on safeguarding practices, accountability, and effective complaints handling mechanisms. SCI contonie to renew its committment to create a safer environment for everyone!

14/05/2026

Representatives of the Social Cooperation Initiative - SCI participated in a three-day Training of Trainers (ToT) on organized by by United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) Pakistan in collaboration with . During these three days, detailed discussions were held on PSEA, with active participation from sector partners and representatives of agencies. SCI was honored to be part of this valuable learning and capacity-building opportunity. We sincerely thank the Pakistan team of and for organizing such a timely, impactful, and well-coordinated TOT.

11/05/2026

Social Cooperation Initiative - SCI , with support from READ Foundation UK, is working to bring girls back to school in Tharparkar and ensure their continued learning, retention, and graduation through both formal schools and Community-Based Accelerated Learning Centers (CBALs).

Through community mobilization, enrollment campaigns, learning support, engagement with families, and close coordination with schools and local stakeholders, SCI is helping girls overcome barriers that often lead to dropout, including poverty, distance, seasonal migration, and early marriage risks. Alongside supporting enrollment in government schools, SCI’s community-based learning centers are creating flexible and safe learning opportunities for out-of-school girls who would otherwise remain excluded from education.

The initiative is not only increasing access to education but is also strengthening regular attendance, grade progression, and long-term continuation of girls in the education system. Families and communities are increasingly recognizing the importance of girls’ education as a pathway to improved well-being, confidence, and future opportunities.

SCI’s integrated approach combines education, community engagement, and local ownership to support lasting social change and contribute toward a future where every girl in Tharparkar has the opportunity to learn, thrive, and complete her education.

08/05/2026

Social Cooperation Initiative - SCI participated in a workshop organized by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) Pakistan in collaboration with the Office of the Federal Ombudsperson Secretariat for Protection Against Harassment at Workplace (FOSPAH) and the Nations PSEA Network Pakistan. The workshop was attended by Hussain Malik, CEO of SCI.

The workshop focused on strengthening coordination and referral mechanisms on Protection from Sexual Exploitation, Abuse, and Harassment (PSEAH). Representatives from UN agencies, government institutions, and partner organizations came together to enhance understanding of survivor-centered approaches, confidentiality principles, referral pathways, and accountability mechanisms under national laws and UN policies.

The session reinforced the importance of safe reporting channels, informed consent, victim assistance, and coordinated response mechanisms, while highlighting the UN system’s zero-tolerance policy toward sexual exploitation and abuse.

SCI appreciates the efforts of the UNFPA team and partner institutions for organizing this important and insightful learning opportunity. Social Cooperation Initiative remains committed to promoting safe, inclusive, and accountable environments for all.

27/04/2026

Social Cooperation Initiative (SCI) is advancing women’s empowerment in Tharparkar, with support from READ Foundation UK, through a focused approach that combines enterprise development with strong market linkages. By equipping women with practical vocational skills, business planning support, and access to markets, SCI is enabling them to move from subsistence activities to sustainable income generation.

This increase in income is not only improving household resilience but is also strengthening women’s decision making power within families and communities. Women are increasingly contributing to financial decisions, investing in their children’s well-being, and shaping priorities at the household level.

These economic gains are closely linked to SCI’s efforts on girls’ education in Tharparkar. As household income stabilizes and the perceived value of education rises, families are more willing and able to keep girls in school and delay early marriages. This integrated approach is creating a reinforcing cycle where women’s economic empowerment supports girls’ education, and education in turn contributes to long-term social and economic transformation.

15/04/2026

Social Cooperation Initiative - SCI’s work in Tharparkar, Sindh is critical because gender inequality, poverty, and restrictive social norms continue to limit opportunities for women and girls, reinforcing cycles of exclusion, low educational attainment, and early child marriage. In this context, economic vulnerability remains a key driver of decisions that deprioritize girls’ education and increase the risk of early marriage.

With the support of READ Foundation UK, SCI is implementing an integrated, systems-oriented approach that addresses these interconnected challenges. An important component of this work is women’s economic empowerment. SCI is equipping women with vocational and enterprise development skills, providing start-up support, and offering ongoing coaching and mentorship to help them establish and sustain small businesses. These efforts are further strengthened through market linkage support, enabling women to access better value for their products and services and move beyond subsistence-level income.

This economic strengthening is directly linked to improved outcomes for girls. As women’s income and financial agency increase, households demonstrate a greater capacity and willingness to invest in girls’ education, support school retention, and delay early marriages. At the same time, SCI engages communities, families, and local institutions to shift social norms around the value of girls’ education and the harms of child marriage.

By addressing both economic and social drivers of inequality, SCI’s approach is contributing to early signs of change, including increased decision-making power of women within households, improved school enrollment and retention of girls, and gradual shifts in community attitudes toward education and child marriage. This integrated model reflects a deliberate effort to tackle root causes and enable sustainable and tranformative change.