Mohammad Imran a fortunate young beneficiary of the HANDS livelihood program. He was able to overcome obstacles such as the lack of funding ,education, and awareness and set up his own business.
I am Mohammad Imran from Jamali Goth in Hub Balochistan. I am a father to three young children, and am the sole bread-winner for my family.
I was financially stable as a community mobilizer, but when COVID-19 hit, things took an unfortunate turn- I was laid off. I managed on my meagre savings for a short time, but as the money dwindled, my family reached a point of starvation. Things were bleak, when I approached HANDS to help me.
I knew that HANDS helped people to earn their livelihood, and they gave me a small sum of money. I used the money to set up a table near a truck stand on the highway and started Easy Load mobile network recharge services . My services were in high in demand because there was no other service provider there. I was getting good business, but I did not have enough money to invest in a shop to avail the high demand.
I sought help from HANDS again by applying for a loan. The process of applying for the loan was simple. I was asked to get together a group of 3-4 like-minded entrepreneur. All verification and background checks were quickly completed and I was approved a loan of PKR 30,000. I used PKR 15,000 to purchase a computer, and PKR 5,000 to purchase a table and set up shop selling mobile network packages, remittances, and mobile accessories.
This micro set-up, however, has just been the beginning for me. On the villagers’ demand, I also started offering mobile network packages for my customers through Easy Paisa and Jazz Cash accounts that I set up with the PKR 10,000 remaining from the loan amount.
I was previously earning 15,000-16,000 in salary, but thanks to the loan that HANDS gave me, I now have rented a shop and expanded my offerings to include mobile accessories and SIMs as well. My community has also benefitted because of my business. Where previously the villagers had to go to Hub Chowki -30 km away to collect remittances, they can now simply collect them from my shop through the Easy Paisa and Jazz Cash services.
It is due to the support of HANDS that I am now able afford to study for my Online Bachelor’s Degree and support my family. I also try to encourage more people from my community to avail the support that the organization offers.