Pakistan Gender News Voice of Gender News From Pakistan
By Jan Khaskheli
Karachi: Parveen Khatoon has become a source of inspiration for several girls of Karampur village, Jamshoro, as she managed to study and also learnt the skill of embroidery despite being an amputee.
Born on August 14, 1984, to a peasant family, Khatoon faced a horrible road accident near Jamshoro when she was seven-years-old in which she lost both her legs. But, despite the depressing situation, she kept her hopes high and continued schooling with the help of her parents. She passed her matric exams in 2000 and shifted to college for higher education. Currently, Khatoon is pursuing her graduation from Sehwan Degree College. Her father Latif Umrani said “After the accident we lost hope that she will not be able to live a normal life. But, her will and hard work to achieve goals inspired us and that is why we always helped her in getting education and whatever she wants to learn,” he said.
Besides Sindhi language, Khatoon can also read and write English and Urdu, while her parents are optimistic about her future.
Apart from studies, she also learnt the art of needle work and gained experience by designing textures of thread knitting on her own. Since then, it is part of her routine work that when she returns home after college, she keeps herself busy in needle work. She can do all kinds of embroidery and needle work, including stitching with operating sewing machine, which helps her earn a little amount to bear the expenses of her study.
“I have never tried to introduce my work in local markets. Because, I know that my work might not come up to the standards, which women prefer in urban centres. I follow the traditional thread work, which attracts women from neighbouring villages, who pay a little amount,” she stated.
Khatoon is also working as a well-skilled instructor at a vocational centre of a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), where she teaches short training courses to the village girls.
Reportedly, seventy per cent girls in the rural areas of Sindh never attend school. There are 22,428 primary schools in the province, including 4,792 for boys and 7,298 for girls, but only 50 per cent of the enrolled students manage to complete primary education and about 60 per cent girl students hardly go to secondary schools. About 3.8 million children have never been to schools in rural Sindh, while the dropout percentage is even higher.
Source: The News
Date:1/13/2011
