Artisan Pprofiles
Seema Naz: Dreaming Big
Seema Naz lives in Shah Faisal Colony, Karachi and she makes handmade bags and stuff toys.
After her eighth grade, she got married to an unemployed man. She has three kids and she bears their educational expenses alone. She is the sole breadwinner at home. Her work place is on the other side of the town and she changes three buses to get there every day. She makes 4000-4500 per month, whereas her lump sum house rent including utility bills is 14000. It’s harrowing to make ends meet.
She stitches on an old stitching machine that is very heavy and consumes a lot of electricity. Her landlord does not allow using it at home as it consumes a lot of electricity. She couldn’t use it at home or take it somewhere to work. It’s the time when WoMart got in touch.
She thinks there is hope now. She thinks she has access to a bigger market and so it’s a great opportunity to expand on the business she has. At WoMart, not only was she given a smart phone, but also the necessary training about online
After her eighth grade, she got married to an unemployed man. She has three kids and she bears their educational expenses alone. She is the sole breadwinner at home. Her work place is on the other side of the town and she changes three buses to get there every day. She makes 4000-4500 per month, whereas her lump sum house rent including utility bills is 14000. It’s harrowing to make ends meet.
She stitches on an old stitching machine that is very heavy and consumes a lot of electricity. Her landlord does not allow using it at home as it consumes a lot of electricity. She couldn’t use it at home or take it somewhere to work. It’s the time when WoMart got in touch.
She thinks there is hope now. She thinks she has access to a bigger market and so it’s a great opportunity to expand on the business she has. At WoMart, not only was she given a smart phone, but also the necessary training about online
markets. During the sessions, the artisan got basic training on market research and product design using the internet. Now her phone has become the most important tool that she uses to study various designs and comes up with creative ideas to create her own unique designs. People like her designs and so, she has started selling in some local shops too. Given the current economic situation of Pakistan, Seema needs to have access to a global market to survive. She thinks it’s an opportunity of a lifetime that will change her life. She has also involved 4 more local artisans of the area and has shared her learning during the workshop, hence transferring the learning.