It was in 2003 that a pilot project known as Women Social Enterprise (WSE) was launched in Hunza. Under the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN), it aimed to provide poor families income opportunities by professionally engaging young girls. With the passage of time, the WSE has expanded considerably and now employs over 110 women, between 19 and 35 years of age. According to Salman Beg, the country head of the AKSCP, women development has long been an institutional priority for the AKDN.