Artisan Pprofiles
Lubna S. Mohammad: A struggling artist
Family restrictions and conservative cultural norms make life a bit more complicated than it has to be. Lubna is an embroidery artisan from Kohat who moved to Karachi in search of work. She has five kids and the eldest one with eyesight problems. With 5 school going children it is tough for the parents to manage. Fortunately her children go to the same school where her husband is working as a peon; she gets a little subsidy on the children’s school fee. It’s not enough, even with her currently working at RLCC kitchen; she can barely make the ends meet. She makes 7000 rupees per month and her husband makes 12000 PKR, that’s barely 120$ a month with medical bills. Her life is far from comfort. Her sources are limited and are shatter able.
Despite the fact that, she never attended school, Lubna can read both English and Urdu, and upto some extent, write in Urdu. She has been doing embroidery for last 6 years, without a direct approach to her consumers. Working full time, supporting five kids, it is tough to pay attention to her craft, with such neck break routine. On top of that, the cultural and societal norms are not very supportive to
Despite the fact that, she never attended school, Lubna can read both English and Urdu, and upto some extent, write in Urdu. She has been doing embroidery for last 6 years, without a direct approach to her consumers. Working full time, supporting five kids, it is tough to pay attention to her craft, with such neck break routine. On top of that, the cultural and societal norms are not very supportive to
women bread earners. Biggest hurdle faced by Lubna was, making her husband understand the importance of her working outside. That their family needs more than two hands to keep the house from falling apart, she got through it and her husband approved her working at RLCC.
She completed her FACE training at WoMart workshops in April 2019. With her beautiful, ethnic designs and with her training in marketing and business, she has moved out of financial impotency, but there is still a long way to go. She is not giving up. Hope is the last straw she is holding on to. WoMart could change all that.
She completed her FACE training at WoMart workshops in April 2019. With her beautiful, ethnic designs and with her training in marketing and business, she has moved out of financial impotency, but there is still a long way to go. She is not giving up. Hope is the last straw she is holding on to. WoMart could change all that.