#16Days: In Pakistan, Shaheen Traded Sewing Shoes for an Education
“I sew around six pairs of shoes a day. I work until late at night so I can finish before going to sleep.”
Shaheen is the youngest of four kids living in Punjab, Pakistan. She’s also disabled. Shaheen can’t walk and has to be carried everywhere by her parents and siblings. She lacks the use of her right hand which makes sewing shoes even more difficult.
Her mother, Irshad, taught her to sew shoes when she was very little so she could help support the family. “I used to suffer from headaches and pain in my hands but we had to work to earn a living.” Still, Shaheen dreamed of going to school and asked her father repeatedly to send her.
Irshad has sewn shoes since she was ten years old. As a child, she never even saw a school and, after 30 years of working, she didn’t think she’d ever be able to send her kids to one. “I wished my children could have gone to school instead of sewing shoes. I didn’t feel good when I saw them working but we didn’t have any choice.”
Irshad was especially worried about Shaheen. She wondered if she’d ever be able be on her own. “I wish for her to learn a skill so she doesn’t need to be dependent on anyone.”
Through the Alpha Foundation, USAID announced the opening of an informal education center, one geared towards children working in tanneries and inside the home who can’t attend regular school. Center staff visited Shaheen’s parents and encouraged them to register their children. Irshad agreed.
To date, the center has made significant steps toward improving literacy rates and reducing child labor. Over 500 children working in leather tanneries and other employment have received a primary education. Out of these, 435 children have now joined mainstream schools, including Shaheen who wants to be a teacher.
“The center has brought happiness,” Irshad says. “It’s a great school and children are learning.”
Learn More: https://www.usaid.gov/16-days
This post is part of USAID’s 16 Days storytelling series.
