Sania was heartbroken when her father, 42 year old Muhammad Ijaz, told her he couldn’t afford to drop her to school every day. The journey to school meant he had to close his shop during the time when customers were most likely to visit and it meant losing out on business. Ijaz, who does stitching and embroidery work, was already struggling to make ends meet and could not afford this added burden.
Determined to stay in school, Sania didn’t know she would change her life when she asked her father to buy her a rickshaw. What is more amazing than Sania’s indomitable spirit is the fact that her father agreed and reached out to Awami Development Organization for a loan.
For her determination and valour, Sania won the Young Microentrepreneur (Female) Award at the 12thCiti Micro-entrepreneurship Awards (CMAs), delivered in partnership by the Citi Foundation and the Pakistan Poverty Alleviation Fund (PPAF). To be eligible for the Citi – PPAF Micro-entrepreneurship awards, an individual must have benefited from an affordable loan from responsible finance providers, and must have contributed to the local economic growth in the community, province or city they operate in.
Speaking at the award ceremony the young resident of Noshehra Thal Kalan in District Layyah shared her story with the audience, “When I told my father I don’t want to quit school, he didn’t scold or discourage me, he told me I could go if I can think of a solution. I told him if he buys a rickshaw for me I could not only drive myself to school and back, I could make money by picking up other children on the way charging them a small fee.”
Sania was taught how to ride a motor bike when she was quite young and this helped her learning to drive a rickshaw. “The first rickshaw my father brought was second-hand and used to breakdown often, leaving us stranded on the road. And even though I learned how to fix small mechanical issues, some children were hesitant to go with me. Eventually, we sold that old rickshaw and bought a new one, and the children (passengers) were happier too.” The young entrepreneur, who dreams of becoming a doctor one day, makes enough money to finance her own and her three siblings' education.
It is inevitable that Sania faced disapproval. Her answer to the doubts is simple. “I trust God and leave everything to him.” Sania’s tenacity and refusal to bow down to society’s expectations of what girls should and should not do have not only made her popular in her neighborhood, the young student has won prizes; she is a recipient of Prime Minister’s shining star award twice. A short film was made on her life to share her story with other aspiring entrepreneurs. This recognition has boosted her social and economic status to a great extent, but more importantly, Sania, now 17-year-old, is a positive role model and inspiration for young girls around Pakistan.