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Meerzadi is a 24 year old woman from Pakistan. I call
her on her phone while she is at her home in Moak Sharif, a small
village in Sindh, Pakistan. She happily greets me on the phone. There’s
enthusiasm and energy in her voice. Meerzadi comes from a poor family in
Sindh. Her motivation to break the shackles of poverty forced her to
follow a way of life that is not so common among women in her
area.Meerzadi is the sole bread earner of her family. She supports her
old parents, her sister with her three kids who is also living with her
after she separated from her husband and her two brothers, one of whom
is suffering from Hepatitis C.
Meerzadi’s enterprising character was noticed by the Heritage foundation
one day when she accompanied her brother to a workshop that had been
organized by them. At the workshop she quickly learned how to make
environment-friendly stoves and impressed the staff.
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The organizers began giving her new orders for stoves for people from
nearby villages. Meerzadi started making these stoves by charging only
100 Pakistani Rupees or one dollar for one stove. Meerzadi however found
it difficult to deliver stoves to faraway villages. Impressed by her
enthusiasm, the Heritage Foundation gave her a rickshaw as a gift.
Naeem Shah, the project manager of the Heritage Foundation who has
closely worked with Meerzadi says, “Whatever task we had given her she
completed it. She proved that she is capable. When we asked her whether
she could drive a rickshaw, she was confident that she could.”
Meerzadi is now a rickshaw owner and drives it in one of the most
conservative provinces in Pakistan. She is now able to reach several
villages quickly to make stoves and she also trains other women. There
are people of different faiths living here says Naeem Shah, “There are
Muslims, Hindus, Kolis and people of other faiths but just like a doctor
she doesn’t care as to who needs her services. She just goes and help
them.” |
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While travelling she also transports passengers and earns a little extra
money, “My family members and some relatives were against me driving the
rickshaw, but when I started earning money they stopped criticising me,”
she says. Making stoves and driving the rickshaw is not the only work
she does, Meerzadi is the proud owner of a small grocery store at her
house where she and her older sister sell sweets for children. To run
her business and work effectively, she needs to be good at arithmetic.
Meerzadi does not allow any weakness to come her way and that’s why she
has enrolled for basic English and arithmetic classes at the Heritage
Foundation.
When I asked Meerzadi how men treated her, she responded by saying that
no one objects to what she is doing. “People around me are happy and
proud of me. I feel comfortable going to people’s homes.” According to
Naeem Shah, “People are more comfortable with a woman coming to their
homes for making the stoves. She is also very quick at her job.”
Meerzadi wants other women to follow her path,” When I see poor women, I
tell them that they should learn some skills, at least learn to make
stoves from me so that they can start earning some money”.
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Her sudden fame in the area she lives and her confidence has attracted
some male members of the community who want to marry her but ambitious
Meerzadi is in no mood to marry. “I have seen my sister. Her husband
left her, I don’t want to marry, I am happy with the life I am living”.
She says.
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