The third German lady Dr. Senta Maria Anna Siller (71) is working in rural areas of Pakistan to create additional income through self help projects.
She studied Graphic Design at the School of Art in Berlin. She did her MA in Archaeology, Philosophy, and Education and received a degree of doctorate in History of Arts from the Technical University of Berlin. She served as lecturer and later as Deputy Head of an Art School in Berlin.
Earlier, she earned her first money with silhouettes and illustrations, which along with design became her passion for life. Besides bringing up four children, she continued various activities as a designer (for exhibitions and fairs, children’s cloths, toys and book illustrations) and ran a textile company before she came to Pakistan for the first time in 1965.
After having left civil service and design consultancy, Dr. Senta Siller became honorary manager of a self help project in rural Pakistan in 1993 (also in Cameroon in 1998 and in Colombia in 1999). But the primary country for her activities is Pakistan from where she is networking with other projects in different countries.
Dr. Senta Siller has organized over five hundred exhibitions, shows, and events for income generation for women in rural areas. The focus of her work is “Income generation as a tool of help for self help, poverty alleviation on grass root’s level by ethnic applied arts, the future is in the rural areas and how income generation is necessary there, production of internationally marketable unique and thematic handicraft, eco technology for the independence from central solutions, and the use of communication and information solutions giving chances and opportunities to the people in the rural areas and promotion of rich traditional culture of Pakistan.”
Civil servant appointed for life, Dr. Senta Siller has been conferred numerous awards such as the “Floriade” (the Netherlands), “Gestaltetes Spielgut” (Creative Toys-German Toy Industry), “Bundesverdienstkreuz” (highest civil order of merit of the Federal Republic of Germany) to name a few. Pakistan recognizes her relentless and untiring work in the field of income generation for rural women through self help projects.
Making difference in lives of others is a great accomplishment. I am returning back a part of what life has bestowed upon me,” says Dr. Senta Siller.
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