Elishba Bibi was attacked by a Muslim family who refused to pay her the money she had earned for beautician work. Elishba was stripped naked and beaten with an iron rod causing her to miscarry while carrying her 5 month old foetus. To add insult to injury the brutal Muslim family stole her gold jewellery and phone
all because as a Christian she should not be charging Muslim’s for a service provided? Following a usual pattern, no-one was brought to justice
for the murder of the unborn child, nor were the stolen items ever returned.
It took one year for the BPCA to find Elishba Bibi after she went into hiding When we finally met we immediately compensated her with gold jewellery to replace the necklace that was stolen. We
also provided some gifts for her children. Sadly we found that the family were in deep squalor due to having lost their original home and belongings
after having to escape their city suburb for a more rural village in Mureedke.
Finally we make contact with Elishba after she went into hiding. Naveed Aziz BPCA officer with Elishba.
Adnan Masih husband of Elishba Bibi was a skilled tailor but due to the sudden rush to flee his city he had lost his source of income. To make
a living he started to sell sun glasses which yielded a very low income, but no other work was available . Elishba despite her skills as a beautician
started working as a house maid in different houses cleaning for the wealthy Muslims in the area. The hours she was working were long, the work
arduous and pay was a pittance of what she earned previously. Her children were not attending schools as Elishba could not afford the fees, however
with the help of a donor the BPCA started paying the necessary school fees.
To help them restart their lives BPCA invited the couple to attend our Entrepreneurial skills course.
The bible based business strategies taught during their studies inspired the couple. With the help of Mehwish Bhatti our lead Pakistan officer
Elishba and Adnan prepared a business plan. After we secured a business loan for a manual and electrical sewing machine, they opened up a tailoring
business at their home. Recently Elishba shared with us that they have won a small contract from a shoe factory. The work will involve stitching
in the inner coverings of shoes produced by the company. Elishba and Adnan are very excited about this initial corporate contract and believes that
the scope and scale of their business will expand further.
Elishba displaying some of her work.
Elishba shared her joy with us, she said:
“My children are doing very well at school, three of them are top in their year and hope to have professional careers. Our business is growing and we are able to once again stand proud and on our own feet. It has been our own efforts that has dragged us out of our financial dilemma and that means a lot. None of this would have been possible without the BPCA and we are eternally grateful to them and the donors that continue to support their work.”
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