From Homelessness To Entrepreneurship

Salma a 29 year old entrepreneur lives in Jhudo town, Mirpurkhas. Salma’s life has been full of challenges and hardships. At the age of twelve she was married to a 46 year old man.

“That was a nightmare for me. I was separated from my mother and moved from my village to the city where my husband worked as a farmer. I also had to work with him in the fields to meet our expenses,” says Salma.

Her husband died at the age of 57, leaving behind Salma and her four children.

“Those were very hard days. I was unable to pay utilities and feed my children. Our landlord refused to let us live in the rented house. We used to sleep at the railway station and had nothing to eat. It was very hard to see my children crying of hunger. But one day, I ceased to think of all the hardships we suffered and made up my mind to struggle for a better life. I told myself: ‘Yes, everything is in me. If I am negative, then things won’t work out. If I am positive, then I can tell myself that I am capable of achieving anything…. Read More

Renewable Energy For Entrepreneurship

Ranomal lives with a joint family of fifteen at Village Malo Dhani near Naukot. Ranomal had a dream to study and become a teacher, but he could not fulfil his dream because his family was poor and he had to work at a young age. His father also used to work on agricultural fields to provide for the family.

“I was thirteen and did labor work all day and would get Rs. 50 to buy food for our family” says Ranomal. “I got married in my early twenties. As family expenses increased, I went to Karachi to work in a garment factory. The factory was in a polluted area and the hygiene conditions were also bad. I worked there for six years and fell ill. I suffered from kidney stones and my chest was also badly affected. I was admitted to Civil Hospital in Karachi. Those were very critical days for my family. We had no savings and due to his old age, my father could not work. My wife used to make pillow and mattress covers and sell them to meet our expenses.

After about a year I recovered and my health improved. I came back to my village. I was surprised to see that my wife had built a good Pillow and Mattress Cover business. She used to sew them with her hands. I had also learnt sewing when I was in Karachi. I thought if we buy a sewing machine we could both make more products in a shorter time and earn more money… Read More

Parti’s Determination
Ms. Parti a 38 years old entrepreneur from Umerkot is an example of courage and commitment. She was engaged to Ashok when she was only three years old. When she was nine, her family learnt that Ashok had a mental disease but the village panchayat (council) decided that the engagement could not be broken so Parti had to marry Ashok. They got married in 2001 and she moved to Ashok’s home. After 16 months, Ashok’s brothers threw them out of the house. Ashok was not earning even a single penny to provide for his family. Parti decided to take a lead in earning a living. She pawned the jewelry received in her dowry to a local money-lender for Rs. 20,000 at a monthly interest rate of six percent. She purchased a plot for Rs. 14,500 and constructed a hut (Chaunra) with mud and thatch. From the remaining money, her brother recommended that she start a firewood business… Read More