Patriarchal systems, social and cultural prejudices, financial dependence, lack of media support and exposure to political processes, and limited training opportunities are the pushing factors for women not to be an active part of the democratic process. SAP-PK and partner organizations also realizes that democratic process cannot be successful unless women are involved in the decision and policy-making to ensure democratic governance structures. In this relation, consciously SDPW was designed to involve women in the mainstream politics by equipping them with the knowledge and the negotiation skills to hammer the patriarchal governance structure. The key objectives of SDPW Program are:

• Involve women in different tiers of local government system.
• Enhance women participation in the decision-making process.
• Create a favorable atmosphere for the marginalized in general and women in particular to perform their role as social change agents.
• Dialogue among elected councilors, voters and community activists to further strengthen democratic traditions.