From Struggle to Success: Rana’s Inspiring Journey

Rana has been helping others since she was a little girl. When she lost her parents, she became the sole provider for her six siblings.

Rana explained, “I was 14, but being the eldest, I was responsible for taking care of them. I was always interested in sewing. I did some hand stitching for neighbors to support my sisters. I was just a teenager, but I managed my family affairs and paid my siblings’ school fees.”

When an Operation Blessing team visited Rana’s village, we recognized her strength and entrepreneurial spirit. We taught women how to form self-help groups with the goal of pooling their small amounts of money, and then providing low interest loans to one another to start their own small businesses. Rana quickly became a leader.

“I visited a few women in my neighborhood and held meetings with them to explain the benefits of forming these self-help groups,” said Rana. “The idea was to help each other have our own small earnings. Everyone said it was a great idea, so we formed a group and opened the kind of savings account the government required.”

Hers is one of 38 self-help groups Operation Blessing helped form in this area.

Rana said, “The education provided by the OB team was very helpful and inspiring. It introduced me to banking and other related business concepts.” 

She took out a low interest loan from the group to buy sewing machines and other supplies, and started tailoring from her home.

Rana explained, “Eventually, I thought of opening my own shop, so I could cater to more customers. I got a shop 3 kilometers from my home but walking that far was a bit of a hassle. The Operation Blessing team heard about this and gave me a new bicycle. Now, I can easily commute to work and save enough time to do more sewing.”

With her business well established, Rana went a step further and started teaching other young women how to sew. Many are using their new skills to find good jobs in nearby towns.

“My life has completely changed,” said Rana. “I live in a nice house and I have the security of having my own successful business. I am very happy to have overcome all my obstacles, and now I have peace and prosperity in my life.”