Womanhood personified:

A widow awaits help while fighting for survival

These days unemployment is very common in our society. People are wandering on roads for jobs and income. Especially when it comes to widows, it is impossible for them to survive in such surroundings. Such women are in minority who does not loose hope in hard times.

However, Kismat Jaan, a helpless woman living in Raheemabad is presenting a picture of womanhood personified. Her husband passed away almost 17 years ago. Since then she has been working hard and earning money from different sources for livelihood for her children.

She has 5 daughters and 3 sons among which 2 daughters are married. One of her daughter is paralyzed and is unable to do anything. I used to work in homes as maid. I have worked in Scheme 3 for long time. But now I am unable to work. I don’t even have the strength to climb the stairs.

“My long-term vision is to make my family comfortable, expand this source of income and educate my children. For this I want the government and private companies to help me in every possible way.”

My house rent is Rs2000. I used to receive Rs1000 as fund from Bait-ul-Maal and rest of them I used to manage it somehow. But now it has been 5 months that I haven’t received a penny form there.

Kismat Jaan said that, “I have relatives from my maternal and paternal side but none of them showed sympathy ever since my husband’s death. In fact, I was thrown away from the house by my in-laws. I keep on working hard to earn income and do educate my children. I never gave up but now my bones have the strength anymore.”

Now she puts a fruit chat stall in different Bazaars. Besides the stall she also sells ‘Channa chaat’ in front of her house.

All these are the means of earning for her and her family. She has no one else or any source of income.