Syeda came to Behbud 30 years ago when she was just 19. She had come with her father to deliver frocks that her sister had sewn. What seemed like a simple favor at the time was truly a moment that changed Syeda’s life. She had never seen anything like Behbud before. The dedicated and compassionate workers and volunteers made the area feel like one big happy family.
Syeda and her family lived in a small two-bedroom home near the Mehmoodabad Behbud Center. Her mother sewed clothes and her father was a tailor, and they both shared their knowledge with their eight sons and daughters. Syeda’s father had such talent that he was offered a job in Saudi Arabia. Before he left, he stopped Syeda’s studies. Despite being his favorite out of the eight children, he didn’t see the need for an education when she was just to be married.
After he left for Saudi Arabia, Syeda persuaded her mother to let her continue going to school. By the time he returned, Syeda had passed her Matric exams and was about to sit for her Intermediate exams. At first, her father was thoroughly displeased at having been disobeyed, but after realizing how much education meant to her, he took her to the exam center himself.
When the Behbud volunteers heard Syeda’s story and saw the quality of her work, they immediately asked her to take charge of the newly opened Behbud Gift Shop in the Mehmoodabad Center. Her father was adamant against his daughter working outside the home, but the Behbud ladies did not give up. They showed Syeda’s father how female-friendly the workplace at Behbud was, and in time, he allowed her to join Behbud and take charge of the Gift Shop.
Driven by a desire to improve herself, she enrolled in the Industrial Home at Behbud, completed the Sindh Board of Technical Education Center, and later took a typing course at the Behbud Vocational Center. She was also promoted to Supervisor at the Behbud Mehmoodabad Center.
During this time, Syeda married an educated young man who was supportive of her career. As their family grew and they were blessed with three daughters, they decided that Syeda’s salary would be earmarked for the education of girls. Today, they own an apartment in Gulshan. The oldest daughter is a dentist, the second daughter has completed her MSc, and the youngest is working toward a BBA.
“Allah and Behbud have brought me to my present position,” Syeda says. “If I hadn’t joined Behbud, my life would have taken another path.”