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Ms. Zareeda is a single mother of 4 daughters who live in Alipur (Islamabad). Zareeda shared, “Today, I feel empowered and strengthen to build a successful business that promises a secured life for myself and my daughters. This seemed a distant dream a few years ago, and the dream was fading away gradually”.
Secours Islamique France is executing a livelihood support project under the umbrella of the Orphan Sponsorship Program. SIF is providing financial support and vocational training to the mothers of orphan children. Zareeda shared;
“Vocational training has enabled me to single-handedly rescue myself and my children out of a dark abyss, and I am convinced that a woman can do anything if she puts her mind to it.”
–Zareeda
Due to certain traditional pressure and cultural norms, people feel pressured to get remarry but, I refused to ease my life for my children by marrying another man. She recalled, “I even had to travel outside my village for earning, but I could not manage enough to sustain my family.” In this time of extreme need and hardship, she came to know about SIF as one of the staff members of Secours Islamique France visited her house for assessment of the Orphan sponsorship program, explained Zareeda. In this way, she became part of SIF interventions
SIF has not only sponsored her child and provided her support for education through quarterly stipend but also facilitated her in terms of inclusion to SIF’s seasonal programs and livelihood support for the family and being the guardian of the sponsored child. Under the livelihood component, SIF trained her daughter Samra BiBi on stitching skills.
Afterward, she started her business at the domestic level. Based on her progress and passion for business she further requested to train her on beautician skills to diversify and expand her business. She was trained in two trades and provided financial assistance of 45,000 to start her business. She proved that she has the spark to diversify her business. She took it seriously and commenced her small-scale business. Moreover, she aspires to reach her clients online.
“Gradually, I became an expert in stitching by designing various designs of clothes and started to earn well enough for myself and my family! I also started to train my other sisters”
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