Farheen, who is an embodiment of countless mothers trying to earn without compromising on their dignity, lives with her 9-year-old daughter, Rida, in a single room in a women’s hostel. Every day, Farheen wakes up, dresses up as a man, and goes out in the quest to earn some bread for herself and her daughter. Why dress up as a man, one would ask. According to Farheen, “My job nature means I have to go out in a male-dominated world to earn some money. It wasn’t uncommon for men to make mocking and jeering remarks which made it too difficult for me to work outside in my identity as a woman. Already having gone through a lot, taunts from unknown men was the last thing I wanted. Hence, I decided to cut my hair and change my attire to resemble a man in order to step out in this society dominated by men.” Farheen’s story is heart-breaking. That we, as a society, could be so hostile to women that it brings them to the point of changing their identity to feel safe outside their home, is utterly sad. 

After her marriage, Farheen shifted to Lahore from Karachi in 2011. She worked in a pizza place as a cashier for 4 years before starting her home-based food business. After running the business for 4 years, she had to shut it down due to a family crisis. A single mother, Farheen had absolutely no assets to restart the business but determined to raise her daughter well, Farheen wanted to leave no stone unturned. She is currently riding a bike on Uber and has gotten a small spot in New Anarkali Bazaar where she has opened a tuck shop. But the tuck shop is almost empty and sales are negligible. Farheen is fearful she wouldn’t be able to pay the hostel’s rent. She needs a loan of $360 to stock up her tuck shop. Farheen says, “I don’t want to ask for money, I want to earn it the halaal way”. Let’s support her in adding stock to her shop and earn a livelihood with her head held high! Please donate to Farheen’s business.