KASHF Foundation - Success Stories

Nothing communicates our work and impact as effectively as the stories of our clients – who inspire and motivate us with their successes.

Shahnaz Baji:

“Why should I take the health insurance when I and my husband have been healthy all these years. I think the idea of paying this money for something that is not going to be used is totally absurd”

OR so thought Shehnaz Baji. A resident of Green Town, Shehnaz and her husband were signed up for the mandatory health insurance policy that was initiated by Kashf Foundation in November 2007. She vehemently opposed the decision and stated that she did not have enough money to meet household needs let alone pay for the health insurance premium. Since the insurance was a requirement for taking on the loan, she and her center members took it but were not convinced.

Few days later, Shehnaz Baji’s husband Mr. Riaz developed breathing problems. She took her husband to a local clinic but his condition did not improve. Since he was the only earning source in the household, their economic situation began to suffer as their entire savings were used up for his treatment. While on one hand, Shehnaz Baji was concerned about her husband’s health, she was also alarmed by the state of household affairs where it was increasing becoming difficult for them to carry on. Upon informing the loan officer about her plight, the loan officer told her that she could use her health insurance to get her husband treated at the prescribed hospitals. Shehnaz frantically called on the Medical Hotline (a 24/7 medical helpline set up in collaboration with FMiA) where Dr. Nousheen instructed her to take Riaz to Ittefaq Hospital.

At the hospital her husband was diagnosed with Bilateral Nasal Polyps; an overgrowth of tissue in the nose glands which required nasal surgery. He was operated and the operation went very well and for some time after the operation, the doctor stayed with Shehnaz Baji to give her moral support.

“I would have never bought the insurance policy of my own accord had Kashf not forced it upon me. I now truly realize the value and proposition of the health insurance and I am thankful to Kashf to have thought about us”, declared Shehnaz.

Less than 20% of the people in Pakistan are covered through some form of insurance mechanisms and the population at large remains unprotected against medical contingencies. Health care is increasingly becoming more and more difficult for a family like Shehnaz to afford. As a result they tend to delay their medical expenditures or resort to medical quacks for temporary relief often leading to chronic illnesses and even mortality. The health insurance product has been specifically designed by Kashf Foundation to give these very people a fighting chance in stabilizing their lives and help protect themselves for a better tomorrow.

Naheed Baji:

They say that a journey of a thousand miles begins with one single step. Six years ago, in a tiny locality of interior Punjab, a courageous woman took her first step; a step that led her through all the untried, untested paths to liberate herself from the life of poverty that she knew to carve a brighter, better tomorrow for her children.

Five years after her marriage, Naheed’s husband, Akhtar left her and his four children to make a livelihood as a tailor in Saudi Arabia. The family lived in relative comfort, till the day he sustained spinal cord injuries in a road accident. It was warranted; Akhtar could no longer work, or lead a normal life. In her time of distress, Naheed could find no one to provide her with material or emotional support. Often, her children slept hungry, but her relatives couldn’t care any less. Though heart broken and devastated, Naheed picked up the broken pieces of her life to start anew, as an entrepreneur and as a caretaker for her husband. She was blessed with a creative mind and loved making new, colorful patterns on decorative silks that her neighbors so admired. For two years, she labored night and day making elegant bridal dresses for women in her community, but for a very small amount.

However, this wasn’t the only skill that she knew; prior to her marriage, Naheed had worked at a beauty salon and had aspired to one day manage her own. Witnessing Naheed’s financial duress, a friend advised her to seek loan from the Kashf Foundation to establish a small salon in her own home. Naheed was a strong woman, who had never fallen prey to self-doubt, and knew in her heart that she would succeed in her endeavor. She obtained her first loan from the Foundation four years ago, and has till then, established a regular clientele for her salon. Over the years, her relatives and neighbors have seen her family thrive on her growing income. Naheed has come a long way; her worries have shifted from wondering how to feed her children to saving for their future.

Despite the obvious improvement in her living standard, Naheed continues to struggle to give her children a life as beautiful as the designs she creates on her dresses. She took it as a challenge to work on her husband’s health, and didn’t stop his treatment even in days the family was suffering from acute destitution. It is owing to her efforts that today, her husband’s health has improved considerably. Naheed’s and Akhtar’s relationship has witnessed enough irony; from the role reversal of being cared-for to the caregiver, Naheed has taken everything in her stride. Akhtar appreciates her for the part she has played in the times of crisis. Not one to sit idle, Akhtar has utilized half of the current loan amount to buy a sewing machine to stitch jute bags, and sells them to a local supplier at a profit.

Shams-u-Nisa is a woman who has had to contend with various difficulties and traumas in her life. Her husband was a drug addict and instead of working and providing money for household expenses, he used to forcibly take the little money that Shums-u-Nisa managed to earn by stitching clothes, to buy more drugs for himself. Shums-u-Nisa barely managed to meet the household’s daily food requirements and was unable to provide her four sons and one daughter with proper education and health facilities. Her husband’s drug addiction made him extremely violent and abusive towards his family. She says, “At times when my husband could find no money in the house to take for his drugs he used to turn violent against me and did not even spare the children. I used to hide the smaller ones under the bed and my two older boys used to run to the neighbors' house for safety”.

Seven years ago, Shams-u-Nisa heard about Kashf Foundation and took a loan of Rs. 6000, from which she purchased cloth and filling materials for making children’s toys. She remembers with joy how her children and her neighbors' children exclaimed with joy on seeing for the first time her colorful cloth dolls, bears, jokers, puppies and ponies. Initially she sold these toys to her neighbors, who in turn sold them to shopkeepers; this enabled her to earn Rs. 5000 – 6000 monthly. With the 2nd and 3rd loan amounts of Rs. 10,000 and Rs. 12,000 respectively, she further expanded her business by purchasing more material. Shams-u-Nisa is extremely happy with her business as she now earns Rs. 10,000 – 12,000 monthly.

Shams-u-Nisa has not only been able to provide for the education of her younger children, but has also provided her husband with medical assistance to help him overcome his drug addiction. She says, “Thanks to Kashf, now I know the community I live in and others know me. My center members along with their husbands will come to my aid anytime, which is why my husband cannot dare lay a hand on us”.

Five years ago, Saima’s husband took some money to invest in a grocery store which turned bad, and conditions worsened to such an extent that even affording a daily meal was difficult. Heavily indebted and frequently harassed by creditors, her husband was about to sell the house they owned. The economic tumult facing her household caused frequent disputes between her and her husband. She bore her husband 3 daughters and there was pressure on her husband to re-marry for Saima’s inability to produce a male child. “He used to be violent and abusive, and at the time when I was pregnant with his second child he beat me really badly”, admits a tearful Saima. It was at that juncture she realized that she had to fend for herself and her children. So she became an apprentice at a shop that did decorative work on clothes so that she could contribute economically to the household.

Saima later on heard about an organization (Kashf Foundation) which advanced loans for the purpose of income generation. “A baji from Kashf came to our village and urged us to take loans to start our own business. Here was an organization that was advancing loans to us with no requirements when others turned their backs on us,” exclaimed Saima. She went to the city from her rural locality in Ravi Rayon, despite accusations of her bad character from the neighborhood. They told her husband to keep his wife in check lest she runs off with someone else; however her husband had complete trust in her. Her first visit to the city was full of fear and anxiety, but she was able to get orders from the shopkeepers who praised her work. She started her business with a loan of Rs 4,000 to buy raw materials and gradually took higher loans as the scope of work increased. Saima saw her earning income rise from Rs 1,000 to Rs 3,000 per week on average. "I currently employ around 35 women from the village earning around 6,000 per week and even higher during Eid. People in the locality see me as a role model. Seeing my drive and dedication has given other women from the locality the strength and the courage to venture into running their own enterprise.”

Saima has not had any further children. She sends all her 3 daughters to English medium school, as well as sending them for tuition every afternoon. According to Saima she wants to give them a better future so that they do not have to undergo the same hardships she suffered and wants them to be well educated and married in a well-to-do household.

When Irshaad Baji was questioned about the secret of her success, she attributed it all to her hard work and resourcefulness of her family and the fact that Kashf emerged as an angel for them at a time when they were sorely constrained by their financial circumstances.

“We were so poor... I had lost my self confidence and self respect. People did not want to associate with us anymore for fear that we might ask for something we didn’t have. We were on the brink of financial disaster and I had two girls to marry off…I had no skills and I had no idea how we were going to cope”.

Her husband was a daily wage laborer and her son had set up a small shop in the neighborhood. Their monthly income of Rs 1200-1500 was ill-suited to sustain 7 family members and owing to lack of resources for investment, their financial circumstances continued to worsen. It was at this juncture that Irshaad Baji made up her mind that she would have to acquire some skill and establish a business to overcome her family’s difficulties. Tentatively, both she and her husband learned bookbinding from a bookbinder in their neighborhood and when she felt that she was adept at it, attempted to launch her bookbinding business.

Unfortunately, her first attempt turned out to be a failure and the venture went into a loss. Nevertheless Irshaad Baji did not lose heart and tenaciously persisted in continuing to work and in improving her skill. During this period she, was approached by one of Kashf’s Loan Officers to take a loan and to invest in her business. Against the advice of her friends and acquaintances, who feared that the organization would turn out to be another hoax, she decided to take the risk and has since completed four loan cycles with Kashf.

Her face glowing with excitement and pleasure, she recounts the story of how her life and the lives of her family members underwent a complete turnaround. Her husband, 2 daughters and occasionally her son, are involved in the bookbinding business. Irshaad baji has undertaken the responsibility of acquiring the material for their work from Shaalmi market and has attempted to develop their business with schools in their neighborhood and other surrounding areas. She proudly claims that students and teachers solicit her for binding their books, and now that they have extra revenue from this business, her husband has also been able to set up a stall for samosas in their mohalla. While attending a birthday function recently, fancy birthday caps came to her notice. She took one as a sample and now plans to diversify her business by making and selling these as well. On an average, her bookbinding business yields Rs 18,000-25,000 per month, and they earn Rs 5,000-6,000 from the samosa stall.

Irshaad Baji became the 1st center manager of her neighborhood and she feels that the companionship and support of other women from her neighborhood has equipped her with a renewed sense of self confidence and a positive attitude towards life.

She has cemented the floor of her residence and has also added 2 extra rooms. She has also bought a refrigerator and TV and has been able to induce her daughters to remain at home and continue to take interest in their work by setting up a cable television for them.

Irshaad baji is very vocal about her appreciation for Kashf’s mission and services. She hopes to maintain her business and later go for Hajj like her husband did recently as she was able to save enough out of her business earnings to send him. She declares:

“It is owing to Kashf’s help that I was able to overcome my difficulties, otherwise we would have probably starved… Now we eat what we like and we all eat well. Now, my neighbors are the ones who ask me for assistance and I am the one who is giving instead of taking; they all wonder and question me about our prosperity and success, and I advise them to do the same- take a loan and invest in a business that they would be willing to work hard at, because hard work is the only way forward”.

The Research and Business Development department along with GESA organized the first-ever “Kashf Micro-Entrepreneurship Awards, 2008” in December. The aim of the awards was to give recognition to Kashf female entrepreneur clients who had employed their entrepreneurial acumen for creating successful businesses with the loans taken from Kashf Foundation. Ten clients from different Kashf branches were selected after a series of interviews. Ms. Marvi Memon, Member National Assembly, was the chief guest at the event.

GESA arranged press coverage for the Award Ceremony event, and also provided logistical support to the Research Department which was organizing the event. Guests from various walks of life, NGOs and prominent media houses also attended the Awards ceremony. The presentation of awards was followed by fellowship over tea.