My name is Ayesha. I belong to a minority group and because of that I have always felt different. My sisters and peers always stand out when compared to girls from my village who are my age. We have a hard life, and our days are very busy. We start the day early in the morning by going to the fields and harvesting crops. It is not an easy job and by the time we get back, we are very tired.
I used to stay at home the remainder of my time and my only friends were my sisters. I do like making things though and I learnt the skill set of stitching clothes myself. It is work that gives me happiness.
The team from ITA came to the area we live in and informed us of Khussa Making course being offered in our village area. My parents were very reluctant and strongly forbade us from enrolling in the program. After much convincing from the ITA team, they agreed to send a small group of girls from our religion to the course as long as it does not disrupt our work time in the field.
I really enjoy Khussa Making and the class is the highlight of my day. I might not be very good at it yet, but I practice hard to hone my skill set.
Disclaimer: The views expressed here are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of Idara-e-Taleem-o-Aagahi (ITA)
