Women's economic independence: Sakina's story
In a remote village in Pakistan, Sakina Bibi* is doing what she has always done: keeping her family afloat through sheer determination.
She and her husband have nine children, eight daughters and one son, and for years the weight of providing for them fell almost entirely on her husband’s meagre income from working at a brick kiln, earning approximately £53 per month. In the monsoon season, the kilns stop and even that money runs out. Continuing the children’s education and feeding, and clothing eleven people on that income was, for years, a near impossible balancing act.
Over the years, eager to supplement their income, Sakina had taught herself the skill of handmade carpet production, weaving from home so she could earn while still being able to be a full-time homemaker. It was a practical solution, born of necessity, and it worked up to a point: the carpets were good, but her access to markets was not. With no business knowledge, no access to wider buyers, and no one to help her understand what her work was truly worth, Sakina's earnings remained modest, her potential untapped.
That changed when she joined the British Asian Trust’s Livelihood programme’s Pathways to Rise project, funded by the Alborada Trust. She immediately stood out during a project orientation session as a hardworking entrepreneur with real potential,. Sakina came in with a simple goal: earn more and give her family a better chance, and the programme gave her the tools to do exactly that. Through structured business guidance, she began to understand how to manage production more efficiently and reach markets where her specialised skills could command a fairer price. She had always known how to make carpets, and now she was learning how to build a business around them.
None of it has been easy. Carpet making is patient, detailed work, and balancing production with the demands of a large household leaves little room for error. What has made the difference is her family. Her husband, despite the pressures they face, has been her steadiest supporter. Her daughters have stepped in at every stage, helping with production, taking on household tasks, and giving Sakina the time and space to focus on her craft. Their shared effort runs through every carpet she makes.
Today, Sakina earns an average of PKR 20,000 per month from her business, an income that shifts with orders and designs, but that has already changed things at home. She contributes to household expenses and, most meaningfully, to her children's education. When asked what has given her the greatest joy, her answer is quiet and absolute: knowing her children are not going to bed hungry.
Her ambitions, though, go further. Sakina wants direct access to markets beyond her village, connections that would let her sell without relying on local middlemen and earn a price that truly reflects her work.
Sakina's story is still unfolding. The road to direct market access carries uncertainties of which she is well aware. But she is a woman who has already built something real from very little, sustained by skill, family, and some essential business knowledge. Sakina said, “I have always had the skill. I’m thankful to now know how it can pay me for what it's really worth.”
*Name has been changed