Our artisans are our heroes, our inspiration and the reason for our existence.
Insha-e-Noor strives to provide them economic independence, exposure to the outside world, skills to enhance their confidence and a safe working environment.
There is no such thing as a typical Insha-e-Noor member – they are varied in age, education, skill set, skill level and the time they devote to the centre. What they have in common is a desire to learn and a desire to earn.
Shaheen Rehman
A mother of 4, has been working with Insha-e-Noor since 2009. Shaheen is a trained Sanjhi artisan who also loves to travel and cook. She wants to take Insha-e-Noor to a level that can, someday, support thousands of women like her.
Zaida
A mother of 3, is one of the oldest members of Insha-e-Noor. Zaida is a skilled crochet artisan and also works in tailoring. She feels the happiest when the products she makes are praised by the customers. She comes to the centre daily because being here relaxes her and helps her blow off steam.
Meena
A mother of 3, grew from a young trainee to a director. She is one of the most regular members of Insha-e-Noor and our most skilled tailor. Meena wants to learn all the different styles of garment construction. Her proudest moment was when she contributed to her family’s second car with her income.
Amrita
A single mother of 2, loves to create and experiment with paper crafts in her free time. She works with and supervises the Binding and Packaging group of Insha-e-Noor and is one of the few women who can operate the industrial paper-cutting machine. She feels grateful that she can earn a decent and dignified income for her children and invest in their education.
Humera
She has been a part of Insha-e-Noor since its inception. Her favourite pastime is to have gol-gappe with her girl gang. At Insha-e-noor, she loves to create light, that is, by handcrafting different types of lamps. She is proud to bear the expense of her mother’s treatment using her income and wants to take her for a lovely vacation one day.
Seema
A mother of 2 young girls, has been with Insha-e-Noor for 13 years. She is a skilled crochet artisan and is also training her daughters in the craft. She feels Insha-e-Noor is like a family of women who look out for each other. She loves it when there are big orders, and the whole group gets together to work on them. Seema dreams of seeing Insha-e-Noor become the next FabIndia one day.
Shabnam Shakir
A mother of 3, is a multitalented artisan who can practise crochet, machine embroidery and knitting, and a trained paramedical caregiver. She is also an experienced and talented saleswoman and the first to participate enthusiastically in all of Insha-e-Noor’s exhibitions. Despite juggling between jobs to support her difficult circumstances, she is a fun-loving, ever-smiling woman who inspires everyone around her.
Azra
A mother of 4, has been with Insha-e-Noor for 14 years. She is a talented garment construction worker and weaves magic on fabrics with nimble fingers. She is a creative and passionate artisan who loves experimenting with her sewing machine. Azra believes that the community spirit of Insha-e-Noor is its strength.
Shabnam Shahin
A mother of 3, has been working with Insha-e-noor since 2010. She is one of our oldest and most experienced Sanjhi artisans. Watching her create magic on paper with scissors is almost therapeutic. She also practices crochet occasionally. Shabnam takes pride in her self-confidence and knowledge, which improved drastically by being a part of Insha-e-Noor.