Concern Worldwide

Helping Pakistan’s artisans - including refugee artisans - turn their skills into lasting livelihoods.

 

Our Partnership

Between 2021 and 2025, Indus Heritage Trust and Concern Worldwide worked together to strengthen the livelihoods of artisans across Pakistan. From skilled women in the mountain valleys of Gilgit-Baltistan and Chitral to craftspeople in Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, including Afghan refugee artisans living in Pakistan, our shared programmes combined skills training with access to national and international markets.

When crisis struck, we stood by the same communities: supporting families through the COVID-19 pandemic and helping households restore their livelihoods after the 2022 floods. Across five programmes, the partnership has reached 2,470 people in 11 districts.

Programmes

Training and Market Linkages for Skilled Women Artisans

2024–2025  •  Astore, Ghizer and Chitral  •  1,200 women supported

Our largest programme with Concern Worldwide, reaching 1,200 skilled women across the mountain districts of Astore, Ghizer and Chitral. The programme combined training with direct links to national and international markets, helping women artisans turn traditional skills into a reliable source of income for their families.

Livelihoods and Access to Markets (SALAM)

2021–2022  •  Rawalpindi and Swabi  •  100 people supported

SALAM supported Afghan refugee artisans living in Pakistan to build sustainable livelihoods, strengthening their skills and connecting their products with buyers so that their craft could provide a steady, independent income.

SALAM-2: Expanding Livelihoods and Market Access

2023  •  Swabi, Rawalpindi and Quetta  •  120 people supported

Building on the first phase, SALAM-2 reached more refugee artisans and extended the programme to Quetta in Balochistan, continuing to link artisans with markets so they could sustain their livelihoods.

Livelihood Restoration in Flood-Affected Areas

2023  •  Lodhran  •  450 people supported

After the devastating 2022 floods, this emergency response provided cash and voucher assistance to affected households in Lodhran, South Punjab, helping families restore the livelihoods they had lost and recover on their own terms.

Delivered with Lodhran Pilot Project (LPP) and Concern Worldwide.

Integrated COVID-19 Humanitarian Assistance (ICHA)

2022  •  Peshawar, Nowshehra, Quetta, Muhammad Khail, Pishin and Qilla Saifullah  •  600 people supported

During the pandemic, this integrated humanitarian programme delivered assistance to Afghan refugee families across six locations in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, helping protect household incomes through a period of severe hardship.

Delivered with IDEAS and Concern Worldwide.

Programme Summary

Programme	Partner	Location	People	Year
Women Artisans’ Training & Market Linkages	Concern Worldwide	Astore, Ghizer, Chitral	1,200	2024–25
SALAM	Concern Worldwide	Rawalpindi, Swabi	100	2021–22
SALAM-2	Concern Worldwide	Swabi, Rawalpindi, Quetta	120	2023
ICHA: COVID-19 Assistance	IDEAS / Concern Worldwide	Peshawar, Nowshehra, Quetta, Muhammad Khail, Pishin, Qilla Saifullah	600	2022
Emergency Cash & Voucher Assistance (Floods)	LPP / Concern Worldwide	Lodhran	450	2023
Total			2,470

Support Pakistan’s Artisans

Behind every product is an artisan with generations of skill. Your support helps Pakistan’s artisans, including refugee artisans and families recovering from crisis, build lasting, dignified livelihoods from their craft.