Coca-Cola Beverages Pakistan Limited (CCBPL) celebrated its third annual Savvy and Successful Awards 2015 at the Expo Centre here the other day. The "S&S Awards" are carried out yearly, celebrating the successes of inspirational women in Pakistan. The campaign concluded with a ceremony awarding eight versatile women and marked the launch of CCBPL's flagship women empowerment initiative, "Zeenat Gari"; a women for women rickshaw transport initiative offering women from the under-privileged sections of the society an opportunity to obtain rickshaws as a mode for earning a livelihood.

This project helps women make a living by driving a rickshaw and provides them an opportunity to gain financial independence in line with The Coca-Cola Company's global commitment to empower 5 million women across their value chain by 2020.

The list of award winners of the night includes leading educationist Humaira Bachal who runs Dream Model Street School for underprivileged children; Pakistan's first female taxi driver, Zahida Kazmi; Pakistan's first female fire fighter Shazia Parveen; Director of Justice Project Pakistan, Sarah Bilal; young national level Squash player Sadia Gul; and the first Pakistani woman to earn a PhD in Extragalactic Astrophysics, Dr Mariam Sultana. Additionally two women from within CCBPL were awarded: Naeem Akhtar, Sales Coordination Officer and Shumaila Noreen, their first female Warehouse Operator in the entire value chain.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2015