Faryal Kehkashan, an alumna of the U.S. Department of State’s STEM Sisters Exchange Program (2024) at the University of Delaware and a member of the Pakistan–U.S. Alumni Network (PUAN), is using innovation, entrepreneurship, and digital trade to create sustainable economic opportunities for artisans in Pakistan’s mountain communities.
Currently serving as an international civil servant with the United Nations in Pakistan, Faryal has built her career around advancing inclusive development, youth empowerment, and innovation. With professional experience across the United Nations system, the Ministry of Planning, Development and Special Initiatives, UNDP, WHO, HHRD, and AKDN’s Accelerate Prosperity, she has remained committed to developing practical solutions that combine technology, entrepreneurship, and community-led development.
This vision inspired her to co-found Hunarmandan’s Hunarmarket, a social enterprise operating under the broader Hunarmandan Centre for Cultural and Creative Entrepreneurship. The initiative was born from a simple but powerful realization: Pakistan’s mountain communities possess extraordinary cultural heritage and highly skilled artisans, yet many women remain disconnected from markets, technology, and sustainable income opportunities.
While working with communities in Chitral, Faryal witnessed women producing exceptional handmade products that rarely reached customers beyond their local communities. Determined to change this reality, she and her team established Hunarmarket to connect artisans with national and international markets while preserving traditional craftsmanship.
Today, Hunarmarket empowers women artisans through skills development, product improvement, branding, storytelling, and digital commerce. By helping artisans improve product quality, strengthen their business capabilities, and access online marketplaces, the enterprise is transforming cultural heritage into sustainable livelihoods while ensuring that traditional knowledge is preserved for future generations.
Faryal credits her participation in the STEM Sisters Exchange Program with strengthening her understanding of innovation, entrepreneurship, technology, and collaborative leadership. The experience reinforced the importance of designing inclusive solutions that combine local knowledge with global opportunities and inspired her to use innovation as a tool for economic empowerment.
Another important milestone came through her participation in the PUAN Masterclass 2026: Mastering the Business Life Cycle, supported by the U.S. Mission to Pakistan. The masterclass equipped her with practical insights into export readiness, digital trade, international business strategy, and scaling impact-driven enterprises.
“The PUAN Masterclass strengthened our vision for taking Hunarmarket beyond local markets,” Faryal says. “It helped us understand how digital technologies, branding, and strategic storytelling can position Pakistan’s artisan products in competitive international markets.”
Building on these learnings, Hunarmarket is now preparing to strengthen its digital presence through e-commerce platforms, artificial intelligence, and digital marketing tools to connect artisans with customers worldwide, particularly in the United States. Over the coming months, the enterprise plans to expand its product portfolio, increase exports, and establish international partnerships that promote ethical trade and cultural entrepreneurship.
For Faryal, entrepreneurship is about far more than commercial success. Every handcrafted product represents the talent, resilience, and cultural identity of artisans whose skills have been passed down through generations. By integrating digital innovation with traditional craftsmanship, Hunarmarket is helping preserve Pakistan’s cultural heritage while creating dignified livelihoods and contributing to the country’s growing digital economy.
As the United States marks 250 years of global engagement, Faryal Kehkashan’s journey reflects the lasting impact of U.S.-supported exchange programs in nurturing entrepreneurs who combine innovation with community development. She encourages aspiring entrepreneurs to pursue U.S. exchange opportunities, build partnerships with U.S. institutions and businesses, and leverage digital trade to create enterprises that preserve heritage, empower communities, and strengthen the economic partnership between Pakistan and the United States.
