Meet Popinjay Artisan - Ansar Parveen
Our Community Manager in Pakistan, Sarah Imran, sat down with some of our artisans in Hafizabad to hear their stories of how the floods have affected them. Despite the struggles they are facing, these women exude strength and unwavering optimism.
Read what Sarah had to say after chatting with our artisan Ansar Parveen.
Petite frame, kind eyes and the warmest smile. That sums up my first impression of the inspirational Ansar. Ansar is a 33 year old devoted mother of five. She considers providing for her children and raising them with love, attention and care to be her primary purpose in life. She has four daughters – Tehreem (12), Malaika (8), Rabbiya (5), Hafsa (3), and a son – Ehtesham (7). She has enrolled all of them in school, and is particularly proud of her eldest daughter, who is among the brightest students in the community. Teachers and students alike praise Tehreem’s intellect and her desire to learn and work hard. Ansar beams with love and pride as she talks about what a splendid example Tehreem is setting for the rest of her children. She tells me that she never misses an opportunity to encourage her children to dream big, and strive for great things in life and keeps reassuring them that with hard work and faith, they will certainly be successful.
Within the artisan community, Ansar is one of Popinjay’s biggest assets. Her dedication and commitment to her work are a source of inspiration to the rest of the artisans, who aspire to reach the level of perfection she manages to attain in each of the embroidered pieces she pours her heart into. She feels immense ownership of Popinjay, and each time I visit, she eagerly inquires if I have any new stories to share about the incredible women who purchase our bags.
Each time I go, I like to speak to as many of the artisans as possible to have conversations with them outside of the work they do for Popinjay so they can discuss any thoughts, concerns or anecdotes they may feel like sharing.
During such a conversation with Ansar, I asked her about how her family has been affected by the recent floods that hit Hafizabad. Upon asking, I learned that unfortunately, Ansar’s one-bedroom house is towards the outskirts of the village – among the houses that were most severely affected by the floods. It was the houses that form the outer boundary of the village that bore the brunt of the ruthless floods, and provided some degree of protection to houses towards the inside. Her house was completely inundated, as a result of which all the wooden furniture and boxes that stored their winter clothes were completely destroyed. The structure of the house itself was significantly weakened, in a manner very similar to that of another family in the area whose roof collapsed and severely injured the people inside. In order to prevent such a tragedy happening to them, Ansar and her family now sleep outside their house as they feel unsafe inside it. With winters approaching, the temperature is dropping with each passing day as a result of which Ansar’s children are falling sick, leading to an increase in medical expenses.
While Ansar shared these details with me, my eyes welled up imagining the conditions she was describing to me. “Ansar, despite all that has happened and what you’re going through, you still seem happy”, I pointed out, marveling at her bravery. She hugged me warmly and said, “If you have faith in God, then there is no reason to worry. We will be okay.”
Despite being adversely affected by the floods, Ansar’s winning smile has not faltered and through her hard-earned income and positive attitude, she is on the journey to recovering from this setback that she and her family have faced.
Write to Ansar if her resilience and optimism in the face of adversity have inspired you, and share her story with loved ones to help us create awareness about the brave faces behind Popinjay.
http://www.popinjay.co/letsrebuild
