Nabila* is an 18-year-old villager girl who lives in a mud house without any facilities. She has 6 sisters, but her parents have always considered them a burden.
In Pakistan, a woman’s parents are expected to pay her groom’s family a significant dowry. Three of her sisters are already married, and her parents arranged their dowry with great difficulty.
However, her sisters are not happy in their husbands’ houses as the husbands’ families continue to demand more dowry. Nabila told us that her parents are already in great debt.
While Nabila wants to become a teacher, her parents do not have enough resources for her to pursue her dream. Seeing her parents’ debt and her married sister’s condition, Nabila decided to learn sewing skills as a way to earn income.
She hopes that one day she will earn money not only for herself but for her family, too. She is very grateful to RAM for her enrollment.
Unfortunately, the dowry system in Pakistan leads to daughters being viewed as financial burdens. Parents often sell girls into domestic servitude, prostitution, and forced marriages.
Going into debt to pay a dowry is also a driving force behind families taking out loans from brick kiln factory owners.
However, at our vocational training program, women and girls are offered a safe place to learn an in-demand and marketable skill, basic good business practices, and become educated on their rights as women under the law.
Would you like to support our sewing classes? Just $25 sponsors one month of tuition for a student! You can also sponsor a sewing machine for $90.
Learn more by visiting our gift program here.
*Name changed for security purposes.
RAZIA’S STORY | TYPHOID FEVER FOR MONTHS
As much as we can, we hold mobile medical clinics at brick kilns in the surrounding areas to provide medical care to those in need. Brick kiln workers in particular are subject to many health problems due to severe working conditions, malnutrition, and lack of access...
SAMINA’S STORY | TREATMENT FOR HER BABY’S PNEUMONIA
Samina lives in a small village located about 2.5 mi (4 km) away from our Life Center. She came to us for treatment of her baby boy who was not even able to breathe properly. When the physician asked about what treatment the baby was getting, Samina said that they...
SARAH’S STORY | NEWFOUND CONFIDENCE
Sarah is a young Christian girl who lives near the Sablone House. She and her sister, Gulab,* both enrolled in our computer training center program for young Christians. Sarah's father is a drug addict and often does not come home for many days. Her mother is working...