KARACHI, March 13: Attending to the needs of her siblings and manning the household was all life could offer to Khadija and many other poor women like her living in Khadda Market, a slum area in Lyari. Their meagre resources could never allow them even to have a government school education or an opportunity to learn any professional skills.

A turning point in their lives, however, came when they joined a free literacy school-cum-vocational training centre a few months ago. Today, they are a productive part of their community.

“Education has given meaning to our lives. All of us still run homes, but now there is a feeling of personal gain and achievement. We have learnt so many crafts here that helped us to supplement family incomes. The happiest part of our school experience is that our teachers are friendly. They willingly tell us what we need to know and listen to and address our problems,” says Khadija Ahmed, 25, while talking to Dawn.

The school set up by the Social Sector Support Service, a non-government organisation, has not only provided underprivileged women with means of education and vocational training, but also a platform to share problems and act together. And, it’s of great benefit especially for elderly women that include 65-year-old Hajra Ismail, a widow taking literacy classes at the centre.

“I am a heart patient and live alone at home. The school is a huge blessing for people like us who are marginalised in society because of our age, deteriorating health and loneliness,” says Hajra. “I have found good people here, some of whom have become my friends and take care of me.”

Along with a girls school, the NGO has made separate arrangements to provide free education and skills to street boys. The service offers training in motor mechanics, repair of home gadgets, fashion designing, stitching, embroidery and beauty care.

Explaining how the idea of working in the education sector was conceived and what the organisation aimed to achieve, Abdullah Khadim Hussain, an educationist to the core, said: “The desire is to benefit the poorest of the poor by helping them stand on their own feet and giving them a chance to live a respectable life.