She had spent over a decade working in education, first as a Montessori teacher and later offering consultation to parents on early childhood education. But the full-time mentorship role for the Family Economic Advancement program (FEAP) in Pakistan spoke to her on a deeper level. “I felt like Mawla chose me for this work,” she says. “It’s a blessing.”
Today, Salima supports 74 families who are experiencing poverty, guiding them through challenges, helping them find their strengths, and working with them to create family development plans.
“The first thing is to build trust,” she explains. “Without trust, no one is going to open up about their challenges.” She works closely with each family, visiting their homes, and taking the time to discuss their aspirations and needs.
The Ismaili Imamat has been working for many decades to alleviate poverty in the Jamat, and since Mawlana Hazar Imam’s Golden Jubilee, National Councils around the world have accelerated this work. The Family Development Programme (FDP), known in Pakistan as the Family Economic Advancement program (FEAP), helps families to set goals, build financial stability, boost resilience, and envision hope for a future free of poverty. It is designed based on global best practices and has been adapted to the Jamats’ specific contexts.
“We don’t tell them what to do. We work together, figuring out what they want for themselves and how they can get there,” explains Salima.
But income or financial sustainability is only one part of the equation. The families face challenges across several aspects of life – mental health, social well-being, education, and more. The family development programme aims to be holistic, and Salima emphasises that it empowers families to realise their own potential.
“Our job isn’t to solve their problems for them. It’s to show them the path—they do the hard work.”
One story that stands out is of a woman in Karachi, a housewife whose husband worked as a security guard. The couple’s youngest daughter had Down’s syndrome, and they struggled to make ends meet. “She thought she couldn’t do anything to help her family,” Salima remembers. But through discussions, the woman realised she had skills to leverage.
She started by selling special types of bread called Phitti and Arzuk to her neighbours, using the money to buy fruit for her children for the first time in months. Today, she owns a small pizza restaurant in Nizamabad. “Her success is entirely her own,” Salima says, her voice filled with pride. “I'm just there to guide her.”
The programme works on the premise of Jamat helping the Jamat. The mentor relationship is one of kinship with the mentor embedded into a family as a support structure who accompanies them through their journey. Thanks to the time, effort and resources invested into the initiative by Hazar Imam and his institutions, this work has led to significant results.
Globally, over 70,000 murids have been positively impacted by poverty elimination programmes with the support of 2,000 volunteers and staff thus far. In a recent survey of families, 85 percent indicated the programme has positively impacted their happiness and hope for the future, and that mentorship has enabled them to progress faster. Monthly family incomes for those progressing through the programme are significantly higher now than when they entered.
For Salima, mentorship has been a reciprocal experience. “I always say this job is a blessing. I feel like I’ve gained so much more from it than I’ve given.” The relationships she’s built with the families have profoundly impacted her. “I’m not just a mentor to them. I’m like the sixth member of their family.”
And that kinship goes beyond professional boundaries: “One young man I work with, who is 28 years old, lost his father years ago. He said to me, ‘After my mother, I only listen to you, Apa.’ There’s no love or prayers like this anywhere else.”
The challenges of the job are significant. Travelling for work can be difficult, particularly for women, and building trust with male family members isn’t always easy. But Salima feels supported by FEAP, which provides safe transportation and a sense of solidarity. “We are one Jamat. It’s my duty to do this work. That helps a lot,” she says.
Even so, the emotional burden can be heavy. “Sometimes, families want to give up. It’s hard to keep them strong, especially when their situation feels overwhelming,” she admits. Balancing her time between 74 families, each with their own set of unique needs, is no small feat. Still, for Salima, the rewards far outweigh the challenges: “FEAP changed me, my personality, my outlook on life—it’s all different now. I complain less, and I’m constantly learning.”
While the Jamati institutions can organise services, provide referrals and arrange financing, this alone will not be sufficient. The National Councils invite the whole Jamat to take ownership, to be responsible for one another, to actively engage across socio-economic, cultural and language groups, and geographies to help lift up those who require support.
For Salima, the greatest reward is witnessing the transformation in the families she works with. But she’s quick to point out that their success is entirely their own. “We’re nothing [as mentors],” she says. “It’s all about them.” And yet, in helping them find their way, Salima has found her own.
