I once ran a cyber cafe exclusively for women and it worked well. But I had to wind it up due to scarcity of space and was looking for a job. One day, I saw an interview of Begum Akram Khatoon, the former President of FWBL on PTV. She said that UNDP, as part of their self-employment scheme, was going to start a project for women running post-office franchises. She asked enterprising women to avail the opportunity, so I decided to try.

From filing the application to getting trained by post office staff and acquiring an office of my own, all went unbelievably smoothly. The post office opened in January 2001 and was formally inaugurated by Ms. Zarine Aziz in May. I faced no major problems, except that I had to do a lot of legwork, which of course was necessary. Guidance from the FWBL was flawless. Contrary to common negative perceptions about government departments, the post-office staff were very helpful and co-operative.

It takes many things to succeed - only sheer hard work and commitment bring long-term benefits. And family encouragement has kept me going. Sometimes I have problems due to the law and order situation. It's difficult for women in a city where there's no security. Above all, working women need to have a lot of self-confidence.

My loan was sanctioned within a month. I would say 90% of the credit for my success goes to FWBL since they provided me a base from which to move forward. They helped me to attain financial stability and economic empowerment in a dignified manner. They got me into a project which had no history of women in it. If Begum Akram Khatoon showed me the track, Zarine Aziz showed me how to walk that track. The bank staff has a share in my success because of their unflagging support.

I want FWBL to start other such unique projects for women, apart from boutiques and parlours. And they should ask the postal department to arrange refresher courses. I'm also in the printing and stationery supply business by the name of Women Traders which I want to expand. I also plan to re-launch my cyber cafe after finding bigger premises. FWBL's around to help."