Success story
From Burden to Backbone
A grocery store gave Zarina Bibi an income of her own and her place back in the family.
“Today, I feed my own plate — and I help feed others too.”
Read Zarina’s storyHide the story
From Burden to Backbone
A grocery store gave Zarina Bibi an income of her own and her place back in the family.
“Today, I feed my own plate — and I help feed others too.”
Read Zarina’s storyHide the storyFrom Burden to Backbone
How a small grocery store gave Zarina Bibi her dignity and her place back in the family
“I was made to feel like an extra mouth to feed. Today, I feed my own plate — and I help feed others too.”Zarina Bibi
- Programme
- Feed Our World – Zakat Support Programme
- Intervention
- Establishment of a grocery store
- Location
- Tehsil and District Vehari
- Implemented by
- FIDA
- Reported daily turnover
- PKR 6,000 – 7,000
The journey in three steps
- BeforeNo income of her own. Living in her married brother’s household of ten, herself included, where he was the only breadwinner.
- The programmeFIDA, through the Feed Our World programme, selected her to establish her own grocery store.
- TodayA working store with daily sales of PKR 6,000 to 7,000, and a place in the household as an earning hand.
In her own words
When life changed
My name is Zarina Bibi, and I live in a village in Tehsil and District Vehari. A few years ago, my marriage ended in divorce — through no fault of my own — and in a single moment, the life I had built was taken from me. With nowhere else to turn, I went to live with my married brother’s family.
No income, no independence
My brother already had nine mouths to feed in his own household, and he was the only breadwinner, earning through daily wage labour. I became a tenth person under his roof, and I felt every bit of that burden. I had no income, no independence, and, for a long time, no hope that this would ever change.
The day the stock arrived
Then FIDA, through the Feed Our World — Zakat Support Programme, selected me to establish my own grocery store. I still remember the day the stock arrived — soap, tea, spices, biscuits, matchboxes, small everyday items that our village needed and that I could now sell from my own two hands. For the first time since my divorce, I had something that belonged entirely to me.
- Soap
- Tea
- Spices
- Biscuits
- Matchboxes
Learning, day by day
The beginning was humble. My daily income was very small, and I was learning as I went — what items sold fastest, which prices were fair, how to keep track of my stock and my small savings. But I did not give up. Day by day, customer by customer, I built something real.
“Now, with experience behind me, my store turns over PKR 6,000 to 7,000 every single day.”
A place of her own
Today, when I sit behind my counter and watch neighbours come to buy what they need, I no longer feel like a burden. I contribute to my brother’s household just as he does — equally, as an earning hand, not as someone being tolerated out of pity. The household sees me differently now, because I have shown, with my own effort, that I am capable of standing on my own feet.
This small shop has given me back more than money — it has given me back my sense of self-worth. I am no longer defined by what happened to my marriage, but by what I have built afterward, with my own hands, in my own name.
The numbers behind the change (estimates)
Zarina Bibi reports daily sales of PKR 6,000 to 7,000. The figures below translate this into an estimate of her store’s profitability.
1. Daily turnoverReported range, with the average used for calculations
| Measure | PKR |
|---|---|
| Minimum | 6,000 |
| Maximum | 7,000 |
| Average used | 6,500 |
| Monthly turnover (26 days) | 169,000 |
2. From turnover to net profitEstimated, per month (PKR)
| Item | PKR a month |
|---|---|
| Sales turnover | 169,000 |
| Gross profit | 25,350 |
| Less expenses | 2,500 |
| Net profit | 22,850 |
3. Monthly running costsHome-based store, no rent (PKR)
| Item | PKR |
|---|---|
| Restocking and transport | 1,500 |
| Miscellaneous | 1,000 |
| Total | 2,500 |
4. A life-changing differenceEstimated daily net income
About 13.5% of turnover remains as net income: modest, but dependable.
How these estimates were made. Exact purchase and sales ledgers were not available, so these assumptions were applied: average turnover PKR 6,500 a day; 26 operating days a month; average gross margin of about 15% on mixed groceries; no rent; monthly costs of PKR 2,500. The figures are estimates, not audited accounts.
A message of gratitude
“This grocery store is not just a source of income — it is proof that I am not a burden, but a provider. Thank you, FIDA, and every donor whose Zakat gave me back my dignity.” — Zarina Bibi
This success story has been documented by Farming Integrated Development Association (FIDA) under the Feed Our World — Zakat Support Programme, and is shared with gratitude to all donors whose contributions continue to restore dignity and self-reliance to vulnerable women across District Vehari.