1. Case-Studyby: Komal Zahra
Business Development & Micro Enterprise
Case Study
Muraad Mai
Village: Sandeela
UC: Ghos Abad
Project: PEFSA II
Component: Bread-Plate Making
Submitted by: Komal Zahra
Consultant/Trainer

2. Case-Studyby: Komal Zahra
Economic Empowerment
Making Local Craftswomenreachmarkets inrural South-Punjab
Muraad Mai starts her newbusiness andfeels powerful
Torrential monsoon rains in the month of July 2010 triggered unprecedented flooding and
ploughed a swathe of destruction more than 1,000 Kilometers long, from northern Pakistan
through the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Punjab and Sindh over the course of one month. The floods
affected 78 out of a total of 141 districts in Pakistan, covering one third of its geographical area
and more than 18 million people (one tenth of Pakistan’s population) , and devastated villages
across the entire country (NDMA).
Early reports and assessments by
different agencies reflected that
the vast majority of people
affected by floods used to earn
their income and got access to
food through farming, laboring
within the agricultural sector and
holding home based activities
replenished by all locally available
raw materials. The livelihood
resource base was seriously
affected due to 2010 floods and
people even did not have enough
income or savings to cover their basic needs and food security issues. In order to reduce this
collective vulnerability and revive the livelihoods of affected communities in District Dera Ghazi
Khan, an integrated approach was essential to fulfill the urgent needs like food security of the
communities by supplementing their Micro-Economic activities.
There are many villages affected like Sandeela where our beneficiary Muraad Mai lives. She is
55 years old. She has two sons and four daughters. She owned 2 ½ acre land where she and her
husband cultivated wheat. When this disaster came, they hardly moved their place. She said,

3. Case-Studyby: Komal Zahra
“I have very good health before the flood and I lived very happily with my family and my animals
and land. We have very good income source. And I have lived in very good condition.”
After that disaster this area affected badly. And village people survived very difficult. This
village named Sandeela hit badly and the water level of 5 to 6 feet. Muraad Mai house also
destroyed and she said,
“I have 15 Marla house and my house collapsed by that water. I have to move my all luggage
but no time for that and the hardest part of that time is that I lost my two years old son .That
water killed my son and I cannot leave my house and made grave of him in wet land. I moved
my other children to safer place and me and my husband stay here with our dead son soul. His
death made me Heart patient. And our all cultivation land destroyed. This disaster made my life
hell.”
In response to this very
urgent need ACTED
responded by launching a
refined livelihood Cash
Grants component under
the auspices of it’s one of
the mega intervention in
South Punjab within
Alliance Partners. The main
objective of the project was
to help recover the
livelihoods of flood affected
population in a manner that
uplift their dignity and
independence and to assist in restoring sustainable livelihoods, food security and supporting
economic revitalization for targeted flood affected communities.
When ACTED implemented its project in this area and made people relieved from their
destruction. In this village most of the land destroyed and no cultivation and also most of the
business destroyed as women had their home based business at home. Muraad Mai also
affected directly by flood as her land damaged and no cultivation and her business ended. As
ACTED offer the grant and work to her, she said,
“When you came I feel full of life and have confirmed my hope that my life now stable and my
grief lesser and I can do more work to enhance my livelihoods and can survive easily. I have two
daughters and have to marry them and you people give so much courage and help. I can start a

4. Case-Studyby: Komal Zahra
good business and continue it and support my family and help my husband to cultivate the land
again. With your help I have now livestock it is saving for my bad times. Thanks you very much
without your help we cannot be like that as we are. I am so happy and content now.”