This week You! features 10 dynamic women who have done remarkable work in their respective fields.
This week You! features 10 dynamic women who have done remarkable work in their respective fields.
These are also among the 100 chosen Pond’s Miracle Women. These inspiring women sure get you motivated to go places...
Sabina Khatri is the role model for women of Lyari, Karachi, in the form of a charismatic and enterprising working-mother. Her journey of ‘Kiran’ started eight years ago when she stepped in to help a child suffering from abuse in Lyari; she went on to help a hundred others. Sabina knew abuse was a sensitive issue but still she was determined to find a way to create awareness. So, she came up with the idea of opening up a pre-school for children of Lyari. Sabina’s idea was to educate the parent as well as the child so the precondition to admission was that the mother must attend thrice a week and the father must accompany the child on Sundays. And in doing so Sabina not only brought about a positive change in the lives of the children but also motivated many of the parents to go back to school and 
complete their education. Her miracle journey did not end at opening a preschool. “In all these eight years we have placed 140 students in mainstream private schools on merit, despite the fact that we have only two years to prepare them for the test, and their parents for the interview.” Not stopping at that she went on to adopt government schools. “Last year, I partnered with another non-profit organization and adopted a government school in Lyari. We scaled up to 400 students.”
What began as a ray of light has today bathed Lyari in golden sunshine. But for Sabina it is just the beginning. She is a mother to many and her miracle journey should be an inspiration to all those working mothers who think that the day begins and ends with their own world.
Saba Mohsin’s miracle journey shows that no challenge is too great and no experience is too small when it comes to evolving in life. When Saba’s second child was diagnosed with autism at the age of two, Saba decided to use that experience as a basis to help other mums facing the same challenge. “I am an autism mom,” she says. “When my son was diagnosed with autism, my whole life had changed. At first, I had no idea what autism was or how to cope with it. Gradually I realised that no one could do what I could for my child so I opted for self-reliance. Autism is my pursuit now. My vision is to promote inclusion of autism in schools’ curriculum.” Upon moving to Pakistan, Saba faced a further challenge due to the limited awareness of autism here. “When I moved back to Pakistan I couldn’t think of putting my child in a special education school here yet mainstream schools were hesitant to take him on.” Instead of giving up in frustration, Saba embraced the challenge and set up ‘Picture Autism’. Today she works with children with learning difficulties of all ages and schools, spreading awareness and acceptance.
“My inspiration was all those dedicated autism moms who are working with their autistic children. That took me down this road, to take such a step. Because I firmly believe that all children need to reach their optimum potential.” Saba Mohsin is working hard to bring about an important change in our society - that of tolerance towards those who are different.
Some years ago Zar Aslam started a non-profit environment protection organization which led her to a new initiative that promises to change the lives of women in Lahore, making them more mobile and independent. “We launched an initiative to empower women called putting women in the driving seat and that’s how the Pink Rickshaw initiative came about,” she says. Through the Pink Rickshaw initiative Zar and her team train women to become entrepreneurs and operators of rickshaws, teaching them to drive, arranging their licenses and all other necessary paperwork. “It takes a lot for these women to come out and become rickshaw drivers because culturally and socially it is not something that is associated in the public space for women. We hardly see women on the streets let alone driving rickshaws. But these women are determined to break these barriers and change their lives. To me that is true empowerment.”
She also runs environment protection projects for school-going children, which not only increases their environmental awareness but also makes them more tolerant beings. “Through these green environment projects we also teach tolerance by celebrating different festivals. By the end of six to eight weeks these kids have turned into different, more tolerant human beings - much more respectful of each other.” With women like Zar leading the way, Pakistani women have much to look forward to.
Married off at an early age, Zeba became a mother at 19. She continued to work as she had a difficult marriage, and completed her education alongside too. She had her fair share of challenges, as circumstances did not allow her to leave the problematic union. However, once Zeba started working with the UNHCR and came across the plight of refugees, she realised how much better off her life was. “I realised that these were people with no future. It broadened my perspective and gave me an insight I didn’t have before. I realised I was not a victim.”
Zeba managed to go abroad and study further and it was there she brought up her sons as a single parent until her father passed away and she returned to look after her widowed mother. “Coming back to Pakistan was the hardest decision I ever made for I had just reached a point where my children had become independent. Plus the threat of my ex was still there.”
But Zeba’s complex journey had even more surprises in store for her for once more when she settled down to life in Islamabad; life threw a wobbly at her. “I was diagnosed with a brain tumour.” It was at that point on a hiking trip in the mountains that she came across children, who were deprived of education. She then decided to open a school dedicated to the most deprived children of that area. “I started with a one-room school and two children. I was hoping for twenty but instead today we have 570 students.” It has been eight years now and her mission is still strong. Her tough fight and her refusal to give in, is an absolute inspiration for all working mothers.
Amber Qaisar’s miracle journey shows how small businesses can become huge successes. Her brand was novel and even though she had to deal with the challenges of having a start-up from home and being a one-woman show, she knew how to keep her motivation high. Today it has become a family business and she has two popular outlets in the capital city.
“Baking was a passion since I was six. It was the only thing I was allowed to learn outside regular studies,” and perhaps that’s why it seemed like the right career choice. When Amber brought this concept to Islamabad five years ago it was unheard of. “It’s been a rollercoaster ride. I started from home so was always there for my family. Now it is more balanced because my family is involved and my husband has quit his job to help me. My son, who is 14, does a lot of 3D characters for me. When I’m not there he looks after it. Two is always better than one. That is what we tried here and it worked.” Amber’s miracle journey shows that teamwork is the backbone of family and professional life.
SOS founder Souriya Anwar started her project with a bold dream - of transforming the lives of orphaned and abandoned children. “I started on this journey exactly 40 years ago,” she recalls. “At SOS, we run homes for orphans but don’t call them orphanages. We make villages which consist of 15 homes and in each home a mother with up to 10 children lives just like in a normal home. We are in 12 cities now.” It was Souriya’s sister who found her calling for her. “My sister saw an SOS village in Nepal where her husband was an ambassador and wondered why there wasn’t such a set up in Pakistan. She invited the Austrian charity to Pakistan. They agreed to help set it up but needed people to run it locally. My sister told them she knew just the person for it. And I have been running it since.”
An extremely resilient person, who has faced every challenge head-on, Souriya’s advice to other working women, is to march on. “There is nothing you can’t do if you put your mind to it. Don’t ever question helplessly about what you can do to change things? Just begin. Others will join you.” Souriya’s incredible miracle journey will surely inspire many others to be on the quest to grow and learn and to give back.
Zoone Hasan’s inspirational journey started with a bold dream - to let no one go hungry. “Once my family and I were at a breakfast and at the end of it, a lot of food was being dumped into huge garbage bags. My parents asked why and were told it would be thrown away as leftovers. My mother and father wanted to do something about the wastage but they were both very busy in their lives. So I told myself the day I complete my studies I would do something about it.”
About eight years ago Zoone started a charity organization called ‘Thali’. “We feed the less fortunate with the leftover food that the more fortunate take for granted. We collect all the food that would be otherwise thrown away and take it to people who can’t afford food. We also try to raise awareness of food wastage.”
Despite the wonderful work that Zoone is doing, her journey has been far from easy. “When I started ‘Thali’, it took me nine months just to register it. Then another six years to open a bank account. It’s ironic that banks wouldn’t trust a trust. It was a hassle and very de-motivating because when you think about it - people are discouraged from doing good work.”
However, Zoone managed to get past the hurdles in order to accomplish her dream of feeding the hungry. She does all this while holding a teaching a job and being a mother. To this she credits her strong support system - her family. “I grew up in a joint family and I think it is the biggest support system you can have.” Zoone’s miracle journey is a great example of a working mother embracing a life of giving and making a difference to Pakistani society, and is sure to inspire many others to follow suit.
A well-known caterer in her own right, Reema still feels her first and foremost identity is that of a homemaker. Catering for her comes second. It is not so much a matter of priority as it is of balancing the two aspects of her life. “I’ve always tried to make sure both go side by side, as it is important for me to keep a good relationship with my kids and with my work.”
It is interesting to note that Reema spent much of her formative years in the land of culinary delight Paris, yet remained immune to its gastronomic charms. However, when she moved back to Pakistan after marriage, she found herself donning the apron. “My husband encouraged me to learn cooking as he was a foodie.” Reema, initially, was part of a restaurant business. However, at that time, she could not invest in the time and energy needed for a full-on business. “My kids were too young. I couldn’t sacrifice that time to a restaurant.” Later, friends and family again encouraged her to try catering from home and then there was no looking back. “My Thai food fusion is my signature dish. I use all my own recipes. Not ones you’d find in books. My recipes are similar to Thai food but adapted to our desi palette. I want people to enjoy eating new flavours and also get a taste of the Far East in it. It has been11 years in this business now.”
A great believer in miracles, Reema says, “Miracles happen all the time. But you have to make them happen. If you don’t do it nobody will. You have to stand up, work hard, make a name for yourself but do it gracefully.” Her words are sure to go far in inspiring many other miracle women like her.
‘Think big and dream big’ is Tanya Adam’s philosophy in life for she has always lived life on her own terms. Happily married for 20 years and a mother of three, Tanya is the brains behind the enterprising venture ‘The Elbow Room’. “We started with one outlet and in eight years we have expanded to nine.” Tanya married at a very young age and soon after, she and her husband left to study Hotel Management abroad. Upon returning, opening their own restaurant seemed the natural thing to do.
But that is not the only pie Tanya has her fingers in. “I am also a trainee psychotherapist. I started my degree six years ago. And have since worked with many rehabilitation patients. Tanya works from home and finds it a definite pleasure to combine the two. With all her commitments, time management is important to Tanya, as is, age-management. “I take care of myself,” she says. “It’s not a fear of ageing but it’s ageing gracefully. If you don’t take care of yourself, that’s not going to happen. I take care of my skin.” Bold and beautiful, Tanya Adam is sure-fire inspiration for Pakistani working mothers struggling to carve out time for themselves as they strive to balance work with life.
Psychotherapist Bina Yousef found her calling late in life when circumstances drew her towards human connectivity and healing. “I was drawn towards human healing when I used to work with children with learning difficulties. When an opportunity to train in counselling came up, I took it and since then there has been no stopping on this journey.” After working as a counsellor, Bina realised that she had found her calling and decided to pursue the profession through proper vocational training. Although there are many untrained counsellors working unchecked in the country, Bina decided to take the ethical route and take up the challenge of going back to school. “Going back to school as a mature student was the hardest decision I ever had to make. I joined a full time Masters programme at Bahria in 2010. Going back to studies at this age was very challenging but when I finished my degree I really felt as if I had achieved something worthwhile. It was my miracle moment.”
Also a mother, Bina has always been clear that her family is her priority. “The work I do, allows me the flexibility of scheduling my own appointments so that I am not tied down to a 9-5 job.” Bina’s miracle journey shows that we are never too old to learn something new and never too young to take up a challenge. Life is all about pushing the boundaries.
