"Those who spend their wealth in Allah's way by night and by day, secretly and publicly — they will have their reward with their Lord." — Quran 2:274

Far from the luxuries available to the elite of Gujranwala, a widow, Shehnaz Bibi, lives in Naushera Sansi, Gujranwala and struggles to make ends meet. Respected and trustworthy in her local community, her sensibility and credibility is evident from the kind of saving she engages in by managing the local saving system in her neighborhood by pooling and disbursing money by taking turns. The intensity of loss too, like other variables, is defined by socioeconomic status. Losing her husband not only meant loss of emotional support, but also meant losing the sole breadwinner of her family, making her vulnerable to financial deprivation as her income fell to an absolute zero. What this essentially means is that there is no money to pay the electricity bill, which for many would be a meager amount that can barely cover the cost of a onetime meal at a fancy restaurant, let alone dreaming of affording the luxury of education for her son, whose income is insufficient to cover the needs of his wife and children; let alone supporting his mother. Not only did poverty limited their access to education, but also made her and her family more vulnerable to illnesses like malaria and dengue, prevalent in low income areas, owing to poor hygiene and lack of money to spare for medical precaution or prevention. Without formal education or the privileges that a patriarchal society offers to men, Shehnaz Bibi is expanding a general store with an amount of $140; with the help of Seed Out. Her daughter in law, who is slightly educated, is being trained in book keeping to maintain accounts of her store, while she strives to improve the deplorable condition of her store by trying to stock it better. Although, her store has limited products to offer and currently generates a modest income; there is potential for growth, backed by her motivation and commitment, as she invests expanding the store, and her daughter in law takes upon a more active role in contributing towards improving their standard of living; creating an environment conducive to education and healthy living for her children. Shehnaz Bibi chooses to work hard and remain determined in the face of adversity rather than passively accepting loss, like women in Pakistan have been socialized into. She intends on improving her business and impacting the lives of others by becoming a donor. Her journey is from zero to fifteen thousand, and will go far beyond. Tags