Caritas in Karachi has helped women gain a foothold on the business ladder by holding a workshop teaching them how to develop their entrepreneurial skills. Around 25 women, looking to develop businesses making candles, talcum powder, laundry detergent, bleach, and printing cloth attended the workshop on Saturday at the Caritas Pakistan Karachi (CPK) office. The program helped the women learn new marketing skills. “We are aiming to boost these women’s incomes and help them establish stalls in weekly markets,” said Dominic Gill, executive secretary of the CPK which enrolled 27 women in beautician classes and 10 in computer courses last year. Many of them are housemaids or have low paying jobs so we are giving them a helping hand in developing a business and making their own income, he added. Samina Maqbol began candle making after a heart attack forced her father to retire from a government job last year. “He calls it a way of getting by; it is not a business for us,” said Maqbol who makes candles for six churches in the coastal city. “Easter boosts orders for candles, of various sizes, and we will make a profit of 40,000 rupees (US$ 440). My father helps by designing and cutting the candles while I pack them,” she said. She said the workshop has taught her how to increase her orders.