It Gave me Hope…
Real women’s lives are being changed everyday when they attend the Women’s Vocational Training Center in Giglit, Pakistan. Over 500 women have graduated from the program now, but each one of them has a powerful story. Meet Nisera-(Name and photo changed for security)
Nisera- “It gave me hope and confidence which gradually overcame my disappointment”
“I am 35 year old and have 5 children My childhood was ruined because of the extreme thoughts of my family, especially my mother and uncle. They used to think sending girls to school is shameful and a sin. I wanted to go school but I was not allowed to even leave my home until I got married at the age of 15 years .
My Husband served in the Military and I just lived in my village with my children. I had seen many difficult days because of illiteracy. I realized many times that,“a uneducated person is a blind”. Many times I got angry at my uncle and mother and had harsh words with them. There was no institute in my village which taught adults or gave technical training to women like me, and I got depressed with the strong feeling that my life is ruined and I had nothing. It made me feel that I really wanted to educate my children. Just a few years ago, my husband retired after serving the military for 18 years, and he needed a new job to feed our family. After a long discussion we decided to move to Gilgit with family from our village. This is 5 hours away! We rented a house, took all the children to schools, and one day I heard about the Women’s Vocational Training Center from a neighbor. The next day I went with her to the training center and got admission for the sewing and cutting class. I really wanted to learn different skills to support my family.
Getting admission was like a dream becoming reality. It gave me hope and confidence which gradually overcame my disappointment. I heard different testimonies about successful women which created a strong desire in me to achieve my dreams. I graduated on September 30, 2015 and got a sewing machine that I know will help me in my future. I still remember the day when I sewed my first Kamiez and Shalwar(shirts and trousers) for my five children. I will never forget these feelings I had. This was not only making the clothes of my children, but I was also saving 3000 rupees! Now some other ladies are coming to my house with fabric to sew shirts and trousers for them, which provides me a chance to make some income. I want to run a tailoring shop from my house to make a respectable livelihood for my family and help my children complete their studies. God bless all those who helped me get to this point!”