“The cow is a valuable asset which enables me to earn per month through the sale of milk and most of the villagers are buying milk from me,” said Bakht Mina, a 45-year-old mother of 7 children belonging to a small village of Union Council Jambera in District Battagram. National Poverty Graduation Program (NPGP) with the support of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) has created livelihood opportunities for several other poor and ultra-poor beneficiaries like Bakht.

Before she received the cow, Bakht 's husband, a barber, had to visit far-flung areas to cut people’s hair to bring food on the table for his wife and 7 children, while Bakht worked as a domestic helper at a landlord’s house to pay for her rent . Despite trying their best, Bakht and her husband were unable to provide education for their children.

Circumstances took a turn for the better when LASOONA- Society for Human and Natural Resource Development partnered with Pakistan Poverty Alleviation Fund to form a community organization in Bakht’s village. The organization identified vulnerable households in her village by engaging community in an exercise to assign poverty scores to resident families. As per assets transfer selection criteria directed by the funding organization, IFAD, Bakht Mina was eligible for asset transfer with a poverty score of 13,categorizing her as ultra-poor.

Subsequently, LASOONA team visited her house and developed Livelihood Investment Plan (LIP) with her family to assess their future financial goals and aspirations. By the end of the exercise, she requested for livestock provision. Her participation in buying that cow with members of the procurement committee made her feel empowered. They brought a pregnant cow which later reproduced a female calf, another productive asset.

She is now able to sell more than 2 liters of milk every day to villagers and community members giving her a daily income of PKR 220. The cow is not the only source of milk; cow manure can also be used as an alternative fuel for cooking, reducing fuel expense and helping Bakht save money for her children’s future. With great optimism, she is planning to continue the productive utilization of her asset through cattle breeding to expand her earning.

“With my own rickshaw cart, I have enough money and the opportunity to transform lives of my seven children. They do not need to work anymore. I have enrolled all of them in local school,” says 47-year-old pleased father, Qamar Zaman. Recently, he received a rickshaw cart from asset provision component under the National Poverty Graduation Program (NPGP). The Qamar`s story proves the positive economic and social impact of the project at grassroots level. This community based 5-year program funded by the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and implemented by the Pakistan Poverty Alleviation Fund (NPGP).

Qamar Zaman resides in Bara Khel, a remote village of union council Ranwal in the district of Tank. He belongs to a poor family and with no land to harvest. With no education, his only option was to work as a daily wager driver for one the rickshaw loader where he earned PKR 450/- per day. Since childhood, life has been harsh and he was always struggling to feed his family of ten; parents, wife and seven children. There was never enough food on the table.

Most often in a poor household, the burden of responsibility usually falls on elder children to contribute into family income. Qamar`s life was no different. He worked in the field to get some extra money when he was a child. It seems like history was repeating itself; his daughters were also working to bring extra money to feed the family.
The life changing event for Qamar was the day, when his villagers organized themselves and set up Community Organization (OC). This forum identified poorest in the community and nominate them for asset provision. SABAWON field staff trained the community members on poverty scorecard assessment and they scored Qamar six on his Poverty Scoring Card (PSC) which falls under extremely poor category. After the assessment scoring, SABAWON team made household livelihood investment plan with Qamar, he expressed his wish to buy his own rickshaw cart. The team member along with Qamar procured a rickshaw cart under the asset creation component. Nowadays he is earning up to Rs. 900 per day-substantial increase in income.

NPGP came as a ray of hope for Qamar, presently he is making enough money not only to feed his family with healthy food but also managing to transform his children`s lives. He is making sure his sons as well his daughters get a good education to shape their future and not suffer the way he did when he was young.

“I always wondered how I can get out of this poverty trap to help my family, to enable my children to study and to pay for my husband’s treatment. There were no means, but I was still hopeful for my future,” said Ms. Musmat Azeeman Khatoon who recently received livelihood asset under National Poverty Graduation Programme. Ms. Musmat is a 37-year old woman who lives in Village Ghulam Qadir Golo of Union Council Doulat pur, District Kashmore with 3 children and a mentally retarded husband. A meager amount of quarterly payment from BISP and manual labor on landlord’s farm barely provide her the income to meet the expenses of her children’s education, access to health or other necessities. Her difficult circumstance and continued dependence on external financial support to sustain her family had limited her vision to ascertain how to earn ample income for her family without depending on others. Participation in the meetings of community organization and getting livelihood assets (goats) under NPGP has enhanced her ability to pursue economic and social empowerment.

After introducing NPGP to the local community, all members of Community Organization (CO) Rabel jo Gul continued meeting on a regular basis. In one such meeting, SRSO conducted an exercise to identify how the community defines poverty and to categorize households into different poverty types based on this definition. CO members nominated Musmat as ultra-poor given her circumstances. Additionally, a score of 5 on the poverty scorecard also helped SRSO identify her as NPGP beneficiary.

When the programme team sat with her and her family to decide the household’s Livelihood Investment Plan, Musmat informed SRSO that raising goats will help her feed her husband and children, and the milk can also be a source of earning. Over the course of time, she aspires to sell goats’ offspring and grow her dairy business.

39-year old Kassunbah, wife of Malho, lives in Village Dhabi Bheel of UC Mithrio Bhatti, District Thaparkar with her family of 8 members. She used to be a housewife while her husband and son earned daily wages to support the entire family. To help her husband meet both ends, she set up a very small shop inside her house. However, having very few items in the shop did not let her effectively contribute to her family income and the family kept struggling to improve their living conditions.

After a thorough wealth ranking exercise involving community members guided by TRDP, she was selected as NPGP beneficiary and informed the programme team that she aspires to expand her shop to increase her income.

She actively participated in the procurement of items for her general store which helped increase her market knowledge and access. Soon after enhancing her shop with the support of NPGP a significant growth was witnessed in her business. She says, “I am very happy to expand my small shop in my home and hope to double my income soon. My dream is to expand my current business beyond a general store to a place where customers can find variety in clothes, shoes, bedsheets and handicrafts.”

Her vision is for her son, Chatoon to get a college degree. Earlier her financial constraints did not allow her to send him to school, but now he is regularly attending one. With her grown business, she sees herself on the path of financial self-reliance, not only to meet her and her family’s expenses but also to support other women in the area.

Hawa, wife of Muhammad, lives in a small house with her husband and 10 children and grandchildren at Village Haji Soomar Abro, UC Haji Soomar, District Badin. She wishes to educate her grandchildren and improve her financial condition. Hawa narrated “my husband has chronic diabetes so he cannot resume his daily labor work; however, two of my children are laborers but monthly income is not enough to manage daily expanses. One day NRSP team visited our small mud house and I shared my dream with NRSP team. VO members guided us through the steps and helped us set up my grocery shop with support of NPGP project,” her eyes teared as she shared her story.

This grocery shop allows her to save an average of Rs. 160 each day in addition to making her feel self-reliant to take care of her family by managing monthly expenses along with saving for her grandchildren’s education. She is hopeful that her dreams of financial prosperity will comes true and she will be a role model for other women in her community struggling with financial difficulties.

Shaheen Bibi, a 40-year old widow residing in Village Pitawo, UC Peer Abad, District Shangla, is the mother of 9 children: 5 sons and 4 daughters. Since the death of her husband, her life in a conservative society had been about extreme poverty and not meeting ends.

NPGP’s PSC and community validation exercise placed her in the category of ultra-poor with a poverty score of 5. LASOONA team visited her house to develop her livelihood investment plan, based on which she was able to set up her own grocery store, a dream she had held for many years but did not have the resources to bring to fruition.

The store allows her to make Rs. 300 every day, out of which she plans to save Rs. 30-50 daily to expand her business and to be ready for unforeseen circumstances. Sending her children to school also seems a possibility now. She says: “I had nothing to eat and no money for medication, but now we have food to eat and money for treatment. My children wanted to go to school and in near future, I plan to get 1 daughter and 3 sons enrolled. I am hopeful that our living conditions and standard will continue to improve in the future”.

“Shabana Bibi is a resident of UC Kot Sai Singh, District Jhang, living in extreme poverty conditions with her 7 family members. Their only source of income to feed their family was her husband’s manual labor along with Rs. 1500 each month from BISP, which was insufficient to alleviate their poverty. Through NPGP’s community validation and PSC exercise, her score was found to be 12 on the poverty scorecard.

Shabana was very excited to find out her eligibility for NPGP interventions. She said “My husband and I decided to choose an asset that can help reduce our poverty in near future. We therefore mutually agreed on Karyana Shop because I can easily run the shop myself in my village.”

Before getting her own Karyana Shop, daily income earned through her husband’s manual labor was barely Rs. 200-300, and they were unable to feed their children. The family could not afford educating children or affording basic necessities including healthcare. The Karyana Shop has allowed them to earn more than Rs. 400-500 on a daily basis and this additional income is Shabana’s contribution to her family’s welfare. She plans to save her profit to expand the business over time enabling her family to improve their standard of living.

“It was a moment of joy when I received these goats! It provided much needed financial security for me and my family,” says enthusiastically, Ruqqaiya Bibi, a young mother from Layyah, Punjab. She, recently received three goats from different categories of assets, mainly livestock, transportation, production and services under the National Poverty Graduation Program (NPGP). A 5-year program funded by the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and implemented by the Pakistan Poverty Alleviation Fund to help the poorest of the poor through asset provision and skill-development.

Ruqqaiya Bibi belongs to a remote town of southern Punjab, where women tend to the household work while men work as a laborer for meager returns. Life hasn’t been easy for her, but became unbearable when her husband lost his job. The ever-increasing household expenses and lack of income created a vicious cycle of deepening poverty. Even her education till the tenth grade did not help her provide for her family; every day she faced the fear of hunger looming over them. The future of her kids seemed bleak and lack of income-generating opportunities made her feel completely helpless.

But things have taken a turn for the better, after introducing NPGP launched by NPGP for local communities. National Rural Support Programme (NRSP), a partner organization of NPGP, identified and categorized households on the basis of different levels of poverty. The community nominated Ruqqaiya due to her dire circumstances. The programme team and Ruqqaiya sat together on the household’s Livelihood Investment Plan and evaluated the skills and resources, opportunities available in her town.

Consequently, agreed on the type of asset they could most benefit from, Ruqqaiya Bibi decided to raise goats to help feed her family where the milk could be a source of permanent income. Presently, she is a small scale, but confident entrepreneur and hopes that over a period of time the goats would multiply and generate a decent income for her and her family. The asset creation has not only brought financial stability to her and many other women in her town but also has paved a way towards economic and social empowerment.

“I never thought my dream to open a shop would become reality. Currently, I am providing three services in my barber shop i.e. the haircut, shaving and oil massage.,” says Aijaz Ameer Muhammad with confidence as his eyes shone through contentment. Aijaz is a one of the many poor of a resident of Jamal Chappri, Tehsil Chobara in Layyah Punjab. But he is the fortunate, whose business was upgrade through the National Poverty Graduation Program (NPGP). This community driven 5-year programme provides livelihood assistance to people like Aijaz out of poverty on a sustainable basis.

Before NPGP, Aijaz was under-the-tree barber with bench, scissor and mirror. Despite being only barber of the town, he found it difficult to make ends meet. To set up a shop and upgrade it with the necessary tools to offer more services, seem impossible within his earning. Unfortunately, there was no one who could provide Aijaz the required investment fulfills his dream.

With the commitment to eradicating poverty under the livelihood enhancement component, the NRSP team ensured that Aijaz holds his head up with pride.

The community members selected him as a deserving beneficiary on the basis of the guidelines provided by the NRSP team. Not only programme team and Aijaz planned together to upgrade his shop, but also procured tools together for his business which helped enhance his skills increase in market knowledge and access.

Aijaz wasted no time in renting a shop and started cutting hair, soon after setting up his shop. Not only did the people of the village would come to him, but other people from towns nearby would also visit due to his skillful work and commitment. He began to get so much work that he employed one more person to assist him in shaving and oil massage services. Aijaz 's struggle for his family's prosperity led to more livelihood opportunities for people in his village.

Aijaz is now a happy man. With his hard work, he can take care of his huge family, which includes his wife, children, his mother, and sibling. The financial independence and stability that his shop has made Aijaz enthusiastic about to striving and reinventing his business: he is now looking forward to introduce hair dyeing service in his shop!

Farooq Hussain is a young determined welder who is successfully running a welding shop in the distant town of Jamal Chappri located in Tehsil Chobara in Layyah, Punjab. He has been provided with machinery and equipment to set up a welding shop. This asset transfer under the National Poverty Graduation Program (NPGP), has substantially increased his monthly income from PKR12, 000 in the past to PKR 30,000. “Thanks to new the machinery and equipment, I have started making complex steel products including steel railings, gates, doors, and their frames. Not every welder in the town is offering these services. This has significantly increased my daily income,” says Farooq Hussain with satisfaction.

The situation was different few months back. Farooq’s average daily income was hardly PKR 400. He had the responsibility of fulling needs of a six-member family, including three children, parents and a wife. The family was living in a miserable condition and none of the children in the family were attending school.

Farooq started welding at a very young age. He learned this skill from his elders. Despite being a skillful worker, he lacked the financial resources to buy a proper machinery and equipment restricted his business to manual work, and prevented him from undertaking complex technical labor for customers.

Farooq felt much relieved when his community organization nominated him as an asset recipient under the livelihood component of NPGP. With a low poverty scorecard rating, he qualified the criteria to receive programme support in terms of welding machinery and equipment. Soon after his nomination for asset transfer, NRSP team visited his house to develop his livelihood investment plan, based on which he was able to purchase a welding machine, a dream he had held for many years but did not have the resources to bring to fruition.

Today, Farooq feels accomplished and satisfied for bringing positive transformation in his life and lives of his family. He owes his financial success and business expansion to this programme and his determination is a great source of motivation for other men of the village.

“These goats are a beacon of hope for my family. Belonging to low-caste Hindu and providing the basic necessaries of life for my family feels empowered and dignified,” explains mother of six, Hakiman with the sign of gratification. National Poverty Graduation Program (NPGP) with the support of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) transferred livelihood asset consisting of five goats to set her own enterprise.

A 39 years-old Hakiman belongs to small community settled in the village of Lobhar, Union Council Joruo, District Tharparkar in Sindh. Her husband is low-caste Hindu and forced to work as laborers in conditions resembling to slavery after poverty had forced his family to take loans from the Wadyraas (landlords).

The Hakiman`s husband was a sole provider and had the responsibility of financially supporting her six children between the aged between 4-12. With earning daily wages as low as Rs. 300, Hakiman has lost her hope as being a housewife could not add value to her husband`s income. She felt very helpless against her complicated life.

But circumstances have taken a turn for the better, when one fortunate day, the implementing partner Pakistan Poverty Alleviation Fund (NPGP) visited to formed a community organization in Hakiman’s village. The community organization passed a resolution in her favor for a livestock support on the basis of the poverty scorecard ranking of thirteen which puts her ultra-poor category. GM “”

Subsequently, during the drafting of the Livelihood Investment Plan (LIP), she chose livestock for income generation as she had basic skills about goat rearing when her father-in-law gifted her a goat several years ago. Along with procurement committee members, she participated in the purchasing process. They brought five health goats, one for milking and four for farming.

Soon after most of the villagers and all community members in the village started buying milk from her. The sustainable livelihood empowered her to make decisions for the children. She has enrolled her two-younger children in his paternal village Sayasar due to lack of school in her village. The setting up of a small enterprise has also made her empowered in households’ decisions; Now she is planning to buy more goats from her saving to expand her business to establish one of its kind goat farm in her village.

“It is a great blessing to have three meals a day! I am able to earn meals for my children rather asking for leftover food from neighbors” says a young mother, Hameeda with relief. The National Poverty Graduation Program (NPGP) supported Hameeda to open a small tuck shop in her house. The program is supported by the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and implemented by the Pakistan Poverty Alleviation Fund (NPGP) to help the poorest of the poor through creating livelihood opportunities.

A 42-year-old Hameeda lives in a remote area of VO Redho, Union Council Raheemabad, and District Shikarpur, Sindh. Life comes with its own share of challenges and opportunities. In the patriarchal society, it becomes even more challenging when a woman is a wife of a visually impaired man and a mother of four young children. Her husband being Hafiz-e-Quran and Pesh-Imam, teaches Quran to children of the village but there was no daily income source.

Hameeda slayed her self-dignity & respect for her family. She used to ask for leftover food from neighbors as a charity. Sometimes, there was no food at all and to pass the time children slept empty stomach. This all was very heart wrenching for a mother to tolerate.

But circumstance took U-turn, when SRSO team visited her village and introduced the National Poverty Graduation Programme (NPGP), they conducted Participatory Wealth Ranking (PWR) in her Community Organization, on which CO members voted her standing in the ultra-poor category by analyzing some major indicators.

Later on, a PCS team of NPGP-SRSO and Hameeda sat together and filled my Livelihood Investment Plan (LIP). She shared her wish to open a tuck shop in her house through which she could earn and educate her children.

Soon NPGP-SRSO team provided her with necessary materials for her shop. Hameeda shop has become a highlight in the area for children where they come and buy candy, sweets and biscuits. The sale has helped Hameeda earn for her family. Her elder son has become an essential working member of her business as he registers each sale and maintains a record to keep a check on items that are in high demand.

This initiative also enables the mother son duo to face the trial times due to global pandemic COVID-19 with calm and easy. She manages to earn Rs. 1500 per day and save Rs. 100-200 daily for rainy days.

“With my own rickshaw loader, I am earning enough money to provide food and medicines to my ailing parents.” said Muhammad Mehboob, a recipient of rickshaw loader under the asset transfer component of the National Poverty Graduation Programme (NPGP). Mehboob`s life-changing story is one of the many instances of economic empowerment of beneficiaries through this six-year programme. The initiative is funded by the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and implemented by Pakistan Poverty Alleviation Fund (NPGP).

21 years old Mehboob belongs to a poor family of a remote village of union council Yarak in District Dera Ismail Khan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Being illiterate and faced by lack of opportunities he worked as a daily wager but was unable to earn enough to meet needs of his parents and two young sisters.

When NPGP was launched in Yarak, SABAWON, a partner organization of NPGP conducted an exercise using the poverty scorecard to identify ultra-poor households to help them graduate out of poverty. This was followed by development of a livelihood investment plan to provide an asset i.e a grant to improve the livelihoods of the poor and deserving households.

Based on his skill set and future goals, Mehboob was provided with a rickshaw loader. With the help of this asset, he is earning around PKR 1200 each day which he is finding sufficient to cater to the basic needs of his household. Mehboob also fetches safe drinking water for his home, he is also providing this service to his community on nominal charges. This has lightened the workload of his sisters who were previously responsible for water fetching, now they have time on their hands to make handicrafts and look after their sick parents. Mehboob feels satisfied for significantly improving his sisters’ and parents’ lives.

“It feels very dignified to earn a regular income for the family and hence, no need to go for begging anymore,” says Haseena, wife of Qadir Bukhsh, who was a beggar in the area. Haseena has set up a small karyana shop (grocery store) in her house with the support she has received under National Poverty Graduation Programme. An initiative for creating sustainable livelihood opportunities for the poor communities which is financed by the International Fund for Agricultural Development and implemented by Pakistan Poverty Alleviation Fund through its partner organizations.

Haseena, a mother of five, lives in village Jogi in union council Lodra, District Shikarpur, Sindh. The family had no income source, her husband used to beg for money in the village so he could provide food for his children. Sometimes Haseena also had to ask for leftover food from neighbours at the cost of her self-respect, even then there were times when the family had to go to bed hungry.

Circumstances changed for the better for Haseena and her children when a team from SRSO, a partner organization of NPGP visited her village. The team conducted survey to calculate poverty rank of poor households. Haseena’s household met the criteria to qualify for the asset under NPGP. As the process followed, Haseena decided to set up a home-based grocery store, she was provided with essential supplies to start-off. Her small store is now a center of attraction for young and old because all families residing nearby purchase grocery items of daily use from her store. Haseena manages to earn PKR 1000/- every day. Half of the earning is invested in the shop while the remaining is spent on meeting mundane expenses. Haseena’s husband has also stopped begging and the couple is now comfortably providing to the needs of their children in a dignified way.

“I am earning a respectable living by selling jewellery and bangles.” says Maryam Laghari, a mother of 5, with a sigh of fulfilment. Maryam is a proud owner of a jewellery shop that she has set up with the help of asset she received under the National Poverty Graduation Programme (NPGP). A poverty alleviation initiative funded by the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and implemented by Pakistan Poverty Alleviation Fund though its partner organizations.

Maryam resides in Gul Muhammad Laghari Village of UC Bello, District Sujawal, Sindh. Her husband works as an unskilled labourer but does not earn enough to meet his family needs. Maryam always wanted to contribute financially to lessen the burden of her husband, but she had no means. The opportunity came when NRSP, a partner organization of NPGP during an exercise to validate poor households met with Maryam and her husband. The family qualified the criteria under which assets were being provided to the poor households for enhancing their incomes. NRSP initiated the process and came up with a livelihood investment plan for the family in consultation with Maryam and her husband. The couple expressed their desire to open a small jewellery shop in the village. Finally, a day came when they received the requested items to start their enterprise.

Today, Maryam is successfully running her shop in District Sujawal where women come for shopping. She sells both jewellery and bangles and earns an average of PKR 250 per day, the sale goes up to PKR 700-800 during Eid and wedding seasons. Maryam’s journey of success has not stopped yet, leveraging her entrepreneurial skills has started investing her savings to buy hens and plans to set up a poultry business as well.