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Fighting violence and poverty in Karachi: One stitch at a time

By UNDP in Pakistan

July 18^th, 2017

More than 31 percent of the population in Pakistan consists of youth, falling in the age bracket of 15-29. A large portion of this bracket is uneducated, with no vocational skills, making this segment of society vulnerable to violence and extremism.

In response to these challenges, the UNDP’s Youth Employment Project is providing training and employment opportunities to the youth of Karachi in the garment and textile industry.

Carried out in partnership with USAID for the duration 2015-2017, the project targets conflict-ridden and low-income areas such as Lyari, Korangi, Malir, and others.

So far, more than 5,700 youth have been enrolled into the training programs and 2,800 graduates have secured employment/self-employment. These are the stories of 10 such graduates, who have been victims of poverty, armed violence and unemployment. They narrate their circumstances and share how the training has provided them a chance at a better future.

A drive to succeed

Like many young men in the restless neighbourhood of Lyari in Pakistan’s largest city, Karachi, 19-year-old Ibrar Hussain has fought poverty and violence since childhood. A member of the impoverished and marginalized Kutchi community, when Ibrar was only in Grade 5, his father informed him that he could no longer afford to continue his education. But instead of dropping out, Ibrar began to take up part-time jobs to be able to keep going to school.

“I’ve been on the roads since I was in class 5. Imagine what a life I’ve led,” he says today with a wry laugh.

Over the years, Ibrar worked as a chaiwalla (tea boy), daily labourer in a steel factory and a shopkeeper. When he was old enough, he tutored other children. In this way, he made his way through intermediate education. Yet such odd jobs offered few prospects for a sustainable livelihood which would help him advance in life.

Under the Youth Employment Project training programme, Ibrar learned that the could train as a machine operator in a garment factory. He enrolled and, and soon after completing the programme, was hired by the Pelican garment factory as a computerized machine operator.

Today, Ibrar makes a dependable income of Rs14,000 (US$ 140) a month – a sum that increases when orders go up. His training and job has enabled him to get out of the grind of menial work, and given him a way to continue his education. He plans to keep working in the garment industry until he has made enough money to pursue an MBA.

“I will continue to fight for a better life – for myself and for others,” he says.

A boxer turned fashion designer inspires others to escape violence

As a child Wasim Soomro watched as famous fashion designers showed their creations on television. He enjoyed seeing their creative designs and envied their rise to fame and fortune doing what they loved.

Yet for Wasim, fashion design seemed a distant dream. Born to a Sindhi family in the conflict-ridden neighbourhood of Lyari in Karachi, Pakistan, he had been surrounded by violence from a very young age. As violence peaked, gangsters regularly harassed Wasim and his family, often forcing them to pick sides between rival gangs. He recalls being approached by a gang to grant them access to his house so they could get a clear view of a rival neighbourhood to fire gunshots. Wasim and his family finally moved out from the area.

Today, Wasim is only 19 years old but runs a small boutique in Lyari, with several employees. Many of these are from other young women and men who participated in the training programme on his urging. Through this programme, he has beaten the odds to achieve his childhood dream – to become a fashion designer from Lyari.

“I used to watch famous celebrities become designers, flaunting their kurtas on TV. I told myself if they can do it, why can’t I? Lyari is famous for gang violence, but we don’t have any famous designers. I thought I should be the first one,” he said, clad in a blue kurta that he designed himself.

Vocational training offers a lifeline in violence-hit Lyari

A member of Pakistan’s small Kutchi community, 22-year-old Harris Usman’s life has been shaped by the violence that plagues the Karachi neighbourhood of Lyari. As the violence reached its peak, business was so badly affected that the shop could barely remain open more than a day or two in a month. Harris’s small earnings were extorted from him.

Harris’s life changed when he met Wasim Soomro, a young man who had just completed a training course at an institute partnering with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

Initially, Harris did not find the prospect of learning to stitch very compelling, but recognized that it offered an opportunity to learn a valuable skill and earn a living.

After concluding his training, Harris found work with the Pelican garment factory and is now earning Rs10,000–14,000 (USD 100–140) a month, with earnings rising during peak season. This has enabled him to build up some savings, and he now hopes to one day buy back his shop in Lyari as the security situation improves.

“I had lost all hope, but now I feel much more grounded in life,” he says. “The training helped me stand up on my feet. It has also made me want to explore other options for myself.”

Expanding horizons for Karachi women

Any day with food on the table was a good day for Humera and her family of five. The daughter of a rickshaw driver in Korangi, an impoverished neighbourhood in Pakistan’s largest city Karachi, Humera, 20, had a tough childhood. Her father was the only breadwinner and struggled to support his family. “If we paid the rent, we couldn’t buy food. If we bought food, we couldn’t buy clothes. How could we expect to complete our education?” she says.

Consequently, Humera dropped out of school after Grade 8. She and her three sisters began taking in poorly paid piecework, carefully packing glass bangles for a retailer.

Humera soon found herself without work. Luckily, a friend told her about training being provided to young people under United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)’s Youth Employment Programme at the Government College for Women in Korangi.

Humera signed up for a month-long programme to train as a machine operator. Within ten days of completing the course, she landed a job at the Soorty Garment manufacturing plant in Korangi and was bringing in a monthly income of Rs 12,900 (US$ 129).

Success and becoming a breadwinner has made her feel like a different person. She is more confident, and feels her horizons have expanded. “Previously I only thought about the next meal,” she says. “But now I feel I can do much more with life.”

Forging a path to employment

When Sidra was 15 years of age, her family moved from Mirpurkhas, a small Pakistani agricultural town, to the metropolis of Karachi, hoping for better economic opportunities. Unfortunately, things did not work out as they hoped. In her Urdu-speaking community women were traditionally restricted from working, but her father and brother struggled to support the 11 members of the family. Sidra passed her intermediate examination but, like her seven sisters, was expected to stay at home until she was married, despite the family’s worsening economic situation.

One day, however, her brother’s friend mentioned a Youth Employment Programme course at the Vocational Training Centre located in their neighbourhood, Korangi. He said that his own sister was planning to enrol in a course linked to the city’s large garment industry – perhaps Sidra should give it a chance?

By the time her training came to an end, Sidra had gained in both skills and confidence. She was determined to become the first woman from her household to earn an income. She reached out to the career placement officials at the training centre, who set up an interview for her at Artistic Milliners. This was a good first step for a young woman from a conservative background, as the company had an all-female floor, and offered a transportation service that enabled her to avoid harassment on public transport. Sidra was hired at a salary of Rs 14,000 a month, with the option of overtime.

Fighting violence and poverty in Karachi: One stitch at a time

Footnotes

Photographs | UNDP Pakistan/Mishal Jawaid & Usman Iqtidar |

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FootNotes

Photographs | UNDP Pakistan/Mishal Jawaid & Usman Iqtidar |

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