Farah, being a Muslim woman, was never allowed to go out for work and earn a living, but she always dreamed about owning her own business. Both her and her husband wanted to educate their four children, but due to their situation they could not afford to.
When she began participating in the Family Development Program, she attended all meetings and trainings regularly. She felt empowered through this new knowledge she gained, as well as through her participation and relationship with other women in her local Self- Help Group. Her husband, Hassan, also saw the value of her attending these meetings and saw a change in her attitude. Yet he still saw Farah as “useless” and unable to contribute to the family income. As well, he did not want her to leave the house for work.
To address this situation, SAFP local staff went to visit the family frequently, discussing with Hassan the importance of earning a second income so that the children could go to school. Slowly his attitude changed towards her as he saw her active participation in the community and with other women. He saw that she had new found skills and knowledge which she could use.
It was in November 2011 that she made her first withdrawal from SAFP and began a small shop and goat rearing unit. She started with 2 small goats and today that number has grown to 9. Originally her shop was in the house itself with some sweets and other snacks. She wanted to build a small room for shop and expand it with some more items. In November 2012, she withdrew a second amount of money and expanded it to a separate room in the house. Now Hassan sees the value Farah and what she can contribute to the family (she is earning more than him daily through her shop). Farah’s next goal is to buy their own land and build a new house for her family.