A five day training workshop was organized on the basic concepts and facilitation skills of mother language/REFLECTS circles for women activists from 15^th to 19^th May 2006. Eighteen women activists participated in the workshop from Bhakkar, Toba Tek Singh and Rajan Pur Development Areas (DAs).

The broad objectives of the workshop were to provide awareness and initiate analytical discussions on the basic concepts of social, economic & political injustice and its implications in society. To understand the importance of Mother Language in politics of knowledge and to understand the concept of participatory knowledge and skill

The workshop was a real blend of REFLECT approach and the politics around mother language. The training was planned in parts, the first half covered the conceptual part of mother language like knowledge, politics of knowledge, literacy and its corporate based mechanism, human rights, and gender related issues, culture etc, while in the second part, the various participatory tools/methodologies like PRA, REFLECT Circles were experienced through group work.

Resource persons for this training included Ms. Mussarat Kalanchwi, Mr.Irshad Mughal, Mr. Mehboob Alam, Ms.Tanveer Jahan, Mr. Amjid Minhas and Mr. Anwar chudari. They shared their wisdom and experiences with the participants through participatory practices.

Ms Musarat Kalanchwi (a renowned Seraiki peot) facilitated the reading sessions almost every day of the workshop. She also shared the local knowledge on peace, economic social and political equality. She stressed on the importance of mother language to sustain the rich values of the native languages. Mr. Irshad Mughal shared the Freirean thoughts about education. Mr. Mehboob Ahmad Khan threw light on human rights by highlighting day to day life examples. He explained about the retrospective and the evolution of the constitution, laws, ordinances and other related mechanisms. Ms Tanveer Jahan facilitated the session on women rights, gender related issues and its politics particularly at grass roots level. She also shared that how women’s right are being violated and its impact on women.

It was the first time that lessons/primer (Quaidas) for mother language literacy was produced by the participants through participatory process. One participant said that it is the first time that we have developed our lesson/primer (Quaidas) with out any restrictions. "Quaida without any Qaid” (Lesson/primer without any restrictions)". Various lesson/primer (Qaidas) were developed during the sessions; the participants are also independent to develop their own lesson/primer according to their culture and need.

It was a capacity building exercise for women activists to establish literacy circles on mother language by using appropriate participatory tools as well as to initiate the process of discussion around various local issues relating to human rights, values, gender, politics, economic disparity, local rich knowledge and its utilization etc.The women activists attended the workshop with a zeal and commitment to initiate the literacy movement for the promotion of mother languages in their certain areas.