Stitching up a career
Saga of a Saudi girl who braved all odds to pursue her studies
Wafa Badawood
Okaz/Saudi Gazette
Okaz/Saudi Gazette
“WHERE there is a will there is a way,” goes an old adage. Hard work, strong will power, sincerity of purpose, courage of conviction and dogged determination helped a Saudi female realize her dream of going for higher studies by using the hard earned money she saved by stitching clothes for others.
After her father’s death, Farah Saeed was forced to terminate her studies to support her mother in taking care of her 12 children. After 20 years spent in sewing clothes for other women, Farah decided to pursue her dream of enrolling in a university where she is is now doing a major in psychology.
Farah Saeed opened her heart as she spoke to Okaz/Saudi Gazette about her struggle in life. “Opportunities to learn can never be lost, they can only be delayed. A strong will is what you need,” she said.
Farah had an ordinary childhood. She did not always get what she wanted from her parents because of her dozen siblings and the meagre income of her father. “But I was happy then. We had a complete family,” she said.
Farah was in fifth grade when her father died in a traffic accident. “We didn’t get the necessary financial support from our three maternal uncles. My only paternal uncle was not living in our region. My grandmother used to stitch clothes and she taught my mother the basic skills in stitching. Soon she became very skilled. With the passage of time, she became well-known and her customers increased. She made a lot of sacrifices for the family,” Farah said.
When asked why she and her siblings did not try to help their mother, Farah said: “Our financial circumstances did not help us to get a housemaid. My mother used to work silently and stay up the night until dawn. Many times, I used to wake up at night only to find her stitching clothes. It was then that I decided to suspend my education and help her earn something extra.”
Farah also shouldered some of her mother’s household chores and spent her leisure time in learning the art of stitching. During that period, her siblings were growing and scaling the ladder at their respective schools.
Any regrets on terminating her studies at such a young age? “No,” comes the prompt reply. “For me, helping my mother was more important than any certificate.” “The success of my siblings was my success,” she said.
Some of her brothers have now completed university education and two of her sisters are now married. This has considerably reduced the burden on the family.
“I will not forget the day my eldest brother returned home and told me about a learning institute for adults. I told him mockingly that anti-illiteracy campaign has been in existence since decades. But, I realized later that he was dead serious.”
On his prompting, Farah got her papers ready to be enrolled as an intermediate student. “My mother was even happier than me. She encouraged me a lot.”
Her mother’s words of encouragement still ring in Farah’s ears. She said, “You were the cane that I used to walk with for 20 years and I didn’t hear a single word of complaint. I am satisfied with you. Now your turn has come to complete your studies.”
With encouragement from her family, she continued her secondary education and graduated with excellent grades. She is now studying psychology in university. She said she chose psychology to help every person who needs her assistance.
After her father’s death, Farah Saeed was forced to terminate her studies to support her mother in taking care of her 12 children. After 20 years spent in sewing clothes for other women, Farah decided to pursue her dream of enrolling in a university where she is is now doing a major in psychology.
Farah Saeed opened her heart as she spoke to Okaz/Saudi Gazette about her struggle in life. “Opportunities to learn can never be lost, they can only be delayed. A strong will is what you need,” she said.
Farah had an ordinary childhood. She did not always get what she wanted from her parents because of her dozen siblings and the meagre income of her father. “But I was happy then. We had a complete family,” she said.
Farah was in fifth grade when her father died in a traffic accident. “We didn’t get the necessary financial support from our three maternal uncles. My only paternal uncle was not living in our region. My grandmother used to stitch clothes and she taught my mother the basic skills in stitching. Soon she became very skilled. With the passage of time, she became well-known and her customers increased. She made a lot of sacrifices for the family,” Farah said.
When asked why she and her siblings did not try to help their mother, Farah said: “Our financial circumstances did not help us to get a housemaid. My mother used to work silently and stay up the night until dawn. Many times, I used to wake up at night only to find her stitching clothes. It was then that I decided to suspend my education and help her earn something extra.”
Farah also shouldered some of her mother’s household chores and spent her leisure time in learning the art of stitching. During that period, her siblings were growing and scaling the ladder at their respective schools.
Any regrets on terminating her studies at such a young age? “No,” comes the prompt reply. “For me, helping my mother was more important than any certificate.” “The success of my siblings was my success,” she said.
Some of her brothers have now completed university education and two of her sisters are now married. This has considerably reduced the burden on the family.
“I will not forget the day my eldest brother returned home and told me about a learning institute for adults. I told him mockingly that anti-illiteracy campaign has been in existence since decades. But, I realized later that he was dead serious.”
On his prompting, Farah got her papers ready to be enrolled as an intermediate student. “My mother was even happier than me. She encouraged me a lot.”
Her mother’s words of encouragement still ring in Farah’s ears. She said, “You were the cane that I used to walk with for 20 years and I didn’t hear a single word of complaint. I am satisfied with you. Now your turn has come to complete your studies.”
With encouragement from her family, she continued her secondary education and graduated with excellent grades. She is now studying psychology in university. She said she chose psychology to help every person who needs her assistance.
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