Shukria-A civil war widow
Shukria was widowed when her husband was killed during the Civil War; he was returning home from work when he was hit by a rocket during fighting between the Taliban and Government Forces. He left her with six children and her husband’s elderly first wife to care for. When Shukria joined Zardozi three years ago, she was weaving carpets. One carpet would take 4 months but the money earned was not enough to sustain her family. ‘I struggled to feed my family or provide for their school expenses and felt at times that this was the end of the world, especially having sick children and no money to pay for medicine. I remember the day I heard about Zardozi and thought it would be like other organisations that give basic training. But Zardozi trained me in embroidery and beadwork and with their guidance, I slowly improved my quality of work, helped me to find markets and saw my earnings increase. Embroidery is easier work and produces higher earnings than carpet weaving.’ says Shukria.
Shukria now provides employment to her daughter and three other women in her community. “Zardozi introduced my bead work designs to the wholesale market.’ She proudly says about her life now “Now I can afford the children’s expenses, three of them have now graduated. I can also cook healthy meals and meet all their financial demands. All a mother wants to do is provide a comfortable life so that the children have a beautiful smile on their faces. Without the assistance of Zardozi, this could never have been possible. Zardozi has brought positive change to my life. A big thank you to Zardozi”