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How Mehru embroidered hope for her family in Pakistan

Mehru’s story of hope is one of many that encourage us as we continue to work to see lives transformed around the world.

Written by Tarryn Pegna | 15 Nov 2024

Mehru, wearing a decorated headscarf, smiles as she sells sewing materials from her small home-based business to another woman.

Mehru sells clothing and sewing supplies from outside her home. Her small business is helping ensure her children have enough to eat

Mehru* was worried about her children. Understandably so – the family didn’t have enough to eat. It made it really hard to keep her two little ones (both under two years old) safe and healthy.

More than a third of Pakistan’s population lives in poverty, and many people don’t have any access to the education and skills training that would give them the opportunity to improve their situations.

Food insecurity is a persistent problem in the country, and it’s made worse by inflation and extreme weather events such as floods and droughts that destroy the homes and farms of people who already had very little**. Together, these challenges create a cycle of poverty for families like Mehru’s that is difficult to break free from.

‘Mehru says she had never considered saving before she joined the group, and that all the knowledge she gained made her feel strong.’

Even though Mehru’s husband did all he could to provide for the family by farming, they were struggling.

Then, Tearfund’s local partner, LAMP, began to work in Mehru’s village to help families find new ways of coping with the challenges they face. The team set up a self-help group for women which Mehru joined. There, she and the other group members were guided to start to save money together and think about new ways to earn and income. As part of the group's activities, they also learnt about the importance of health and hygiene for mothers and children.

Mehru says she had never considered saving before she joined the group, and that all the knowledge she gained made her feel strong as she began to understand the potential benefits of this new learning for her family.

Before long, Mehru was able to take a loan from the group’s savings to start a small business at home.

She started by purchasing clothing and sewing materials from Hyderabad city, and then embroidered designs on the clothing to sell in her village for a profit.

Mehru’s work proved popular and she now uses her earnings to help provide for her family. Her business is growing and she says that her family feels confident and hopeful for their future.

Mehru’s story of hope is one of many that encourage us as we continue to work, following Jesus where the need is greatest around the world.

Join us this Advent for more stories of hope-filled transformation. Sign up here to receive a series of short, prayerful emails and be inspired by stories of lives changed in many of the places where Tearfund works.

Mehru and her husband stand together outside their house. Each of the parents holds one of their young children.

Mehru with her husband and their two small children. Since joining the self-help group set up by Tearfund’s local partner, Mehru in Pakistan has been able to help her husband support the family so that they have enough to eat

*Name has been changed for protection.

**Pakistan is ranked 8th most vulnerable country to climate change globally.

Pray for Pakistan

    • Pray for the safety and protection of staff, partners and communities amid critical security and political situations. Ask that all citizens will be able to move about safely and without fear.
    • Pray for the economic difficulties resulting from ongoing political instability. Ask for stability, wise leadership and provision for those most affected.
    • Pray for people in greatest need. Ask that they will get the resources and support they need to thrive.

Written by

Written by  Tarryn Pegna

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