I, Falmina Samoon, live in the suburbs of Lahore near Mughalpura. Life has not been very kind with me in particular. In 1992, my husband died during the early years of my marriage and I was left with almost nothing but good wishes. Since then, I am working tirelessly to fill this void, trying to keep myself busy while also trying to establish a sustainable livelihood. At first, I didn’t know where to begin so I began by making use of my Matric education and started teaching in a local school. After that, I pursued crafting livelihood through stitching with PKR 300 and getting hold of any community orders. Stitching any odd jobs like making clothing longer or cutting them short. Slowly, my income increased significantly. I saved up my income and gathered a community petition of PKR 36,000. I also sold my cow and used my husband’s savings however little they were, and bought a small house for my family. Today, I live my life wholeheartedly by compassionately exerting herself in hospital work from 3 – 10 pm and balancing it with administering stitching centers and schools. My son underwent a backbone surgery after 9th grade due to which he is not able to do any strenuous physical labor work. Through the WEE program market linkages income I was able to marry off three daughters and a son with endowments of gifting a fridge, bed and everything that was required. I manage my time with school engagement and overseeing 7 stitching centers – seeking out market opportunities for myself and the women working alongside me.
