Seemapuri Urban Resilience Project in India (Extension Year)

Sabir is 38 years old and lives in the Seemapuri slum with his wife and three children, and is severely disabled due to polio. With his own mobility problems, his wife’s partial disability and the pressure of basic living expenses and the cost of his children’s education, Sabir’s life is very difficult. He uses his limited mobility to pull a rickshaw and do petty trading every day to support his family, and his income is barely enough to cover his daily expenses.

Our front line staff got to know Sabir during a community visit and learned about the plight of his family. They found that Sabir was eligible to apply for the small business fund of the project, so they encouraged him to apply. After Sabir applied, he was granted funding in March 2020. He can expand his small business. Sabir’s daily income has thus increased by 15-20% compared to before.

Sabir is now not only able to meet the basic expenses of his family, but he is also able to pay off his debts and redeem his wife’s precious earrings. ‘I have been ashamed that my wife’s earrings have been in the custody of someone else because of financial constraints, but now I can finally breathe a sigh of relief,’ Sabir said.