{"id":6039,"date":"2025-08-29T11:11:32","date_gmt":"2025-08-29T11:11:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mahmoodtariq.com\/hnp\/?p=6039"},"modified":"2025-08-29T11:33:35","modified_gmt":"2025-08-29T11:33:35","slug":"defining-and-empowering-women-enterprises-microfinance-in-pakistan-2-2-2-2-2-3-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-3-5-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-3-2-2-2-2-3-3-3-2-2-2-2__trashed-3-2-3-2-3-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-64","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mahmoodtariq.com\/hnp\/defining-and-empowering-women-enterprises-microfinance-in-pakistan-2-2-2-2-2-3-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-3-5-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-3-2-2-2-2-3-3-3-2-2-2-2__trashed-3-2-3-2-3-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-64\/","title":{"rendered":"FBLT Success Stories SAIMA"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\ufeff<\/span>SAIMA\u2019S COLLECTION<\/span><\/strong>\nSAIMA<\/strong><\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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Saima, a 38-year-old transgender woman residing in Samanabad, Lahore,has faced her\u00a0<\/span>share of challenge. She completed her education till matriculation but then she had to\u00a0<\/span>move out of her house when her family\u2019s acceptance towards her became a challenge.\u00a0<\/span>Initially living with a group of fellow transgenders, she later moved in to her own place.<\/span><\/p>

Working as an outreach health worker for the Khwaja Sira Society (KSS) helped Saima\u00a0<\/span>contribute to her community, but rising inflation made it challenging to cover her\u00a0<\/span>expenses. Recognizing the need for additional income, she decided to start her own\u00a0<\/span>business.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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\n\nINSPIRATION AND ACTION<\/span>\n<\/strong><\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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Inspired by Saira, a successful transgender\u00a0<\/span>entrepreneur in the fabric business, Saima decided to\u00a0<\/span>explore her potential. She began by informing her\u00a0<\/span>community about her business plans and started selling\u00a0<\/span>unstitched suits purchased from wholesale markets.\u00a0<\/span>Initially cautious, she only bought a few items, unsure of\u00a0<\/span>their salability and profitability.<\/span><\/p>

After gathering support from her community, she began\u00a0<\/span>buying unstitched 3-piece suits from the wholesale\u00a0<\/span>market and selling them alongside her group. Initially,\u00a0<\/span>she purchased only 10-12 items due to uncertainty\u00a0<\/span>about their sale and a lack of understanding about how\u00a0<\/span>to turn a profit. Despite her efforts, she struggled to\u00a0<\/span>generate sufficient income, often relying on her salary\u00a0<\/span>to cover business expenses.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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\ufeff<\/span>\ufeff<\/span>\ufeff<\/span>\ufeff<\/span>INTRODUCTION TO HNP\n<\/span>\n<\/strong><\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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KSS introduced Saima to HomeNet Pakistan (HNP), an\u00a0<\/span>organisation focused on women’s empowerment.\u00a0<\/span>Attending HNP’s meeting, she learned about the\u00a0<\/span>Financial Inclusion of Home-based Workers’ Enterprises\u00a0<\/span>through Business Booster Loan and Trainings (FBLT)\u00a0<\/span>project. This project aimed to empower home-based\u00a0<\/span>workers with training in business management and\u00a0<\/span>access to financial services.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

Saima got so inspired by the theme of the project that\u00a0<\/span>she enrolled in FBLT and started its Foundation Level\u00a0<\/span>Training. It was during her training that she launched her\u00a0<\/span>business,\u00a0Saima\u2019s Collection<\/b>.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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EMPOWERMENT THROUGH EDUCATION<\/span><\/strong><\/strong><\/p><\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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The Foundation Level Training equipped Saima with fundamental business management skills.One of her primary challenges was commuting to wholesale markets to purchase materials<\/span>,which added significantly <\/span>to her expenses. However, the training taught her to offset these transportation costs by setting realistic <\/span>prices for her products. Additionally, she learned the importance of including a fee for her effort and ensuring a profit margin on each purchase to ensure the sustainability of her business<\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Furthermore, she acquired valuable time management and communication skills through the training. <\/span>These skills proved instrumental in negotiating with customers and securing better deals for her fabrics.By <\/span>implementing these strategies, including setting appropriate prices, negotiating favourable rates, and <\/span>effectively managing her inventory, she witnessed a notable increase in sales and, consequently, her <\/span>profits as well<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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FINANCIAL INDEPENDENCE<\/span><\/strong><\/strong><\/p><\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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To assist Saima in establishing her business, FBLT facilitated a loan of PKR 150,000 through HBL <\/span>Microfinance Bank.HNP not only connected her with the bank but also provided support throughout the <\/span>documentation and verification process. Following a thorough assessment, the bank approved her loan <\/span>during Ramadan. Saima utilized this sum to purchase fabric for Eid clothing, capitalizing on the high <\/span>demand during this season.<\/span><\/p>\n

Previously,Saima had been investing her salary in her business,yet she was left empty-handed by the <\/span>end of each month.However, shenowearnsbetweenPKR45,000 to50,000monthly.After covering <\/span>her expenses, she manages to save between PKR18,000 and PKR20,000 per month.Despite living far from <\/span>her family, she maintains contact with her father, who supports her financially with her income.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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FUTURE ASPIRATIONS<\/span><\/strong><\/strong><\/p><\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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Saima acknowledges that she still has a considerable journey ahead.Balancing her job with her business\u00a0<\/span>currently limits her ability to dedicate full time and attention to her entrepreneurial venture. However,\u00a0<\/span>she remains optimistic that as her network expands and her savings grow, she will eventually leave her\u00a0<\/span>job to focus entirely on her business.Her ultimate aspiration is to become a successful businesswoman, allowing her the freedom to work independently and empower others through her work<\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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\n\nARIPPLE OF CHANGE<\/span><\/strong><\/strong>\n\n<\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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Saima’s story has inspired others, including a transgender woman who transitioned from stitching <\/span>clothes to running her own business. Through determination and empowerment, Saima is paving the <\/span>way for a brighter, more inclusive future for herself and her community.<\/span><\/p>\n

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SAIMA\u2019S COLLECTION, LAHORE, PAKISTAN – CONTACT: 0306 2280228
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\ufeffSAIMA\u2019S COLLECTION SAIMA Saima, a 38-year-old transgender woman residing in Samanabad, Lahore,has faced her\u00a0share of challenge. She completed her education till matriculation but then she had to\u00a0move out of her […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":6040,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_price":"","_stock":"","_tribe_ticket_header":"","_tribe_default_ticket_provider":"","_tribe_ticket_capacity":"0","_ticket_start_date":"","_ticket_end_date":"","_tribe_ticket_show_description":"","_tribe_ticket_show_not_going":false,"_tribe_ticket_use_global_stock":"","_tribe_ticket_global_stock_level":"","_global_stock_mode":"","_global_stock_cap":"","_tribe_rsvp_for_event":"","_tribe_ticket_going_count":"","_tribe_ticket_not_going_count":"","_tribe_tickets_list":"[]","_tribe_ticket_has_attendee_info_fields":false,"footnotes":"","_tec_slr_enabled":"","_tec_slr_layout":""},"categories":[48],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6039","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-fblt-success-stories"],"ticketed":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mahmoodtariq.com\/hnp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6039","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mahmoodtariq.com\/hnp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mahmoodtariq.com\/hnp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mahmoodtariq.com\/hnp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mahmoodtariq.com\/hnp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6039"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/mahmoodtariq.com\/hnp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6039\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6046,"href":"https:\/\/mahmoodtariq.com\/hnp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6039\/revisions\/6046"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mahmoodtariq.com\/hnp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6040"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mahmoodtariq.com\/hnp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6039"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mahmoodtariq.com\/hnp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6039"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mahmoodtariq.com\/hnp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6039"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}