A Life Transformed

By Abdul Ghaffar Sathio
Social Organizer, Shamsabad

This is a story of Mr. Muhammad Usman from Kapoor Mori, a village in Shamsabad Region of Sindh. A habitual gambler for years, Usman is married with 4 children, and was considered “bad company” within his community. But today, and as a consequence of his affiliation with HDF, he is seen as an example of hope from his peers and is given due respect.

Muhammad Usman approached HDF and joined our Development Organization (DO) called LBM-2 with a pretext of plans to buy a calf, posing as a budding entrepreneur. His real plan, however, was vastly different.

Muhammad Usman, considered the black sheep within his family, had remained economically dependent upon others. Rather than working to support his wife and 4 children, Usman worked as a wood/log-cutter merely to support his habitual gambling. Instead of spending quality time with his family he would prefer to fritter his hours in the destructive company of his gambling buddies.

HDF’s Development Organizations are community organizing vehicles and one of their advantages is that they leverage collective effort and wisdom. Proving the strength of this concept, the other members of LBM-2 warned the HDF Social Organizer of Usman’s real intention – to borrow money simply to sustain his destructive habit.

Armed with this knowledge, the social organizer devised a strategy to help Usman realize his responsibility and to be accountable for the proper utilization of the micro-credit loan and its timely repayment towards the benefit of his family and himself.  

As a participant in the DO meetings, Usman was able to actively discuss various issues and options with the other members and thereby improved his understanding and learned to critically appraise his available options. Only then did HDF’s Social Organizer motivate Muhammad Usman to start an enterprise to help him earn a profitable daily wage.

Usman was proficient with a wood (log) cutting machine, so he decided to make better use of his existing skill set to further his economic status by working for himself.  By this time, he was also beginning to appreciate the importance of being a good husband, parent and member of his community.

With help from the HDF Social Organizer and Community Based Social Mobilizer (CBSM), and with active participation within the DO’s activities, Muhammad Usman decided to present his business plan.  HDF Social Organizer studied his business plan, analyzed its feasibility and profitability and gave his support to the credit application.  Muhammad Usman received a micro-credit loan towards the purchase of a Rs. 12,000 log (wood) cutting machine.  As a mark of his commitment to the success of this venture, Usman contributed Rs. 2,000 on his own.  Through this log cutting enterprise he has since become a successful entrepreneur and earns enough to support his family.

Earlier, as a log-cutter Muhammad Usman earned Rs. 60 daily. Now, he orders logs from Karachi at Rs. 18 per log and sells them for Rs. 42 in and around village Kapoor Mori.  With his own enterprise, Muhammad Usman’s daily income is roughly Rs. 300. Today, he is thankful to HDF for helping him become a responsible person, a successful entrepreneur, and a better family man. He is also an example of hope to other so-called black sheep within and around his community.

Through effective social mobilization and its micro-lending program, HDF has brought about a transformation in the attitude and behavior, as well as economic prospects, of Muhammad Usman.  He has gone from being a gambler, and irresponsible father and husband, to an upstanding member of his community.

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