You know how Charles Dickens, in A Tale of Two Cities starts with ‘it was the best of times, it was the worst of times?’ Well fast forward from his story set in the turbulent times of the French Revolution, to present-day Karachi.

You must be wondering at what the connection is. Let me tell you. In Charles Dickens’ tale, the two cities — London and Paris — are across the English Channel. They are in two different countries. Yet, both shared experiences that could be termed best, and worst, which are but relative terms.

Just 45 minutes away from the hustle and bustle of the modern metropolis of Karachi, experiencing ‘the best of times’ within its administrative boundaries, lies another city; in another time zone. It is a coastal village of native fisherfolk, who are amongst the oldest inhabitants of Karachi.

How Allah Rakhi stepped up to show that she had the appetite, skills and vision to take a shot at becoming an entrepreneur

As you turn off the main road from Hawkes Bay towards the Kirthar mountains, the city skyline of high-rise buildings fade away into a decidedly rural landscape emerging seemingly out of a different time zone — ‘the worst of times.’ Here, there are small clusters of mud-brick and thatch almost-houses, and boundaries of dried bushes.

Her living quarters, improved

‘Worst of times’ because just within line of sight are plush holiday ‘huts’ along the beach for the people of the ‘other city’ to come and enjoy a seaside experience with running water, gas, electricity, generators, guards to secure life and property and what have you.

Yet where Allah Rakhi lives, in that little cluster in the other city, she had none of the above. Not only that, she didn’t even know where her husband, a poor fisherman, will be getting the next meal for her and her five sons. Sometimes just one meal a day had to do for them; at others, there was not even that.

She was grateful for the piece of land, to which they did not even have a title. She had been allowed to build a makeshift hut which she could call home. She was grateful because she could live there in exchange for the votes cast for her wadera, or the village elder in the elections.

Sometimes just extending a helping hand is not enough. The one being offered help needs to have it in them to take the hand, get up and then move on their own steam.

However, she had the spunk to make the best of this opportunity. She wanted life to be better, and contrary to local tradition, was willing to work to make it better. Opportunity came her way when Indus Earth Trust, a development organisation working for rural uplift, rolled out its TUP (Targeting Ultra Poor) programme, through which the identified beneficiaries were provided a leg-up by way of stipends and grants of assets.

With her son Nawaz Ali at her new home

Defying the disapproval of the community, and breaking taboos of being a ‘working woman,’ she stepped forward and offered to show she could turn around her life for the better if given a chance. Armed with a sewing machine, material for stitching and two goats, assets of her own choice, she proceeded to do just that.

A quick learner, not only did she wow everyone with her dexterity and the design of the dresses she stitched, she learned asset management, money management, enterprise development and the art of saving. She also learnt livestock management and basic health care.

She not only supplements her husband’s earnings but has multiplied her assets, as there are more goats now than were initially given to her. Her sons started regular school, her living quarters show a dramatic improvement, and creature comforts have made an appearance.

Allah Rakhi’s video game shop closed in this picture

But guess what she did with the savings? She bought video games! Not to play herself, or for her sons, but to use as a business. She was trying to kill not one, not two, but three birds with one stone, and she did. She made a thatched platform outside her hut, placed the video games there. and charged money from the village youth who got busy with this novelty and didn’t stray too far away, into the clutches of dubious company.

She started cooking meals and snacks, employed her 13-year-old son to run this new enterprise, and expanded her sewing business by taking orders. Her business grew, and the trappings of the new found prosperity made her a role model for the rest of the community, which had hitherto frowned at her ‘professional’ role.

When I met her, she spoke with a confidence that can only come through success. She proudly pointed to her house, one of the better ones in the village, and said she had built this house with her hard work. She was prouder still of the boat she had bought for her husband through her earnings, as that had not only raised the family’s social profile, it also meant that they had left the ‘worst of times’ and moved to the ‘best of times’ in this ‘other city’ so close to the one that barely acknowledges their existence.

It just took some dedicated people from one city to embrace people living in the other, giving them a leg up in life, and because she had the will in her to change her life, she did; inspiring others in the community to do away with gender prejudices and change their lives.

Sometimes just extending a helping hand is not enough. The one being offered help needs to have it in them to take the hand, get up and then move on their own steam. Allah Rakhi showed everyone how that’s done.

Published in Dawn, Sunday Magazine, September 21st, 2014