Hammad Shakeel
CHOOSING a life path that makes one happy while also ensuring financial stability is any individual’s dream that is definitely achievable for few but harder for lower income groups. Musarrat Jabeen’s story is a testimony to this reality. A determined woman and a motivated entrepreneur, Jabeen fulfilled her wish to secure her financial future while doing something worthwhile for her community.
Working as an Insurance Agent in Multan, she wanted to provide a platform for the children of low-income families to acquire high quality education so they could be guided on a path of greater economic opportunities and participate in society as skilled individuals. She therefore started a school by the name of ‘New British City School’ in 2010 to impart education to the financially-disadvantaged children. While Musarrat had a strong vision for an educational institute and the startup cash to lay its basic infrastructure, she lacked the capital to launch with its full potential. As time passed, Musarrat wanted to offer greater enrolment of students by extending the capacity of her school. For this, new classrooms had to be constructed and a greater space was required to accommodate more students.
Finally, in 2017, she decided to take a loan from Khushhali Microfinance Bank amounting to PKR 395,000 with a repayment time of 18 months. She then availed two more loans and invested it all in her school. Both loans gave her the capital she required to expand ‘New British City School’. She repaid both loans in less than the planned period and had established the school so well that now she has sustained her business that does not require any capital on loan. The loans from KMBL over the course of three years enabled Musarrat to expand the school building, accommodate more children and in turn change the education trend in her community. Currently, she has 17 employees working with her to run the school. This translates to 17 females earning a livelihood for themselves and their families. Needless to say, Musarrat is setting an example of empowerment by reducing the barriers towards education for the poor children in her community and by being an independent successful entrepreneur. Musarrat is one of those successful people around us who not only managed to raise her own standard of living but also for the people in her community.
Educational attainment is an important determinant of one’s life choices, and can positively impact the outcomes of an individual, family and the community at large. KMBL played a significant role in helping Musarrat realize her dream and lead the path of progress in her community. Committed to ensuring that dedicated individuals with little resources but great potential can move forward, KMBL has helped in changing the life of numerous clients, many among them low-income women.
