CHINAR’s Support Helped a Widow Rebuild Her Life in Shopian

Srinagar, October 20: A healthy cow wagging its tail in the cowshed, lush green vegetables ripe in the garden, and old parents taking an afternoon nap. Shabrooza, 34, readies supper for the family and waits for her children to return from school.

It took six years of hard work for life to return to normal. Today, her home looks picture-perfect again.

The death of Mohammad Akbar Shah, Shabrooza’s husband, in 2019 had otherwise shattered everything, including her will to live.

“All thanks to Allah, and then to CHINAR International, who lifted me from the bare ground and helped me walk again,” she says in a voice that seems to carry the weight of those difficult years.

Established in 2011, CHINAR International is a social development organization focused on empowering children, youth, and marginalized communities. The organization takes a holistic approach, supporting a seamless progression from childhood to higher education while promoting self-sufficiency through quality education and livelihood initiatives.

Shabrooza grew up as a cheerful girl in the picturesque village of Batmaran in Wanpora, Shopian, and never wanted to leave the company of its meadows and streams. When she married Mohammad Akbar Shah from the same village, her happiness knew no bounds.

Akbar was a mason by profession and as cheerful as his wife. “My mother had no son, and in him she found one. He not only became my strength but also the strength of my parents,” Shabrooza recalls.

The couple had three children, a son and two daughters, over ten years. The youngest, Amina, was only three months old when tragedy struck. One night, after a long day of labor in their kitchen garden, the family stayed at Shabrooza’s parents’ home. In the middle of the night, she awoke to what she thought was her husband snoring. When she turned, she saw his eyes open. He had already passed away in his sleep.

At Akbar’s funeral, her father could not bear the sight of his son-in-law lying dead and suffered a heart attack. Her mother’s blood sugar spiked dangerously, and both were immediately hospitalized. All of a sudden, Shabrooza was left with ailing parents, an unmarried younger sister, and three orphaned children. Her in-laws gave her two rooms as her share of the property. She locked the rooms and returned to her parents’ home, unsure how to survive the days ahead.

“What followed was only months of poverty and misery. There were days when we had nothing to eat. But everything changed when CHINAR International found my children in school and enrolled them in their Program,” she recalls. That moment marked the beginning of a new chapter for the family.

During a routine survey in government schools, a CHINAR International team found Shabrooza’s children and immediately enrolled them in its full support program under the Child Development initiative. The program is a holistic initiative supporting vulnerable children and their families affected by poverty, loss, or crisis. The children began receiving essential supplies including nutritious food, hygiene kits, clothes, and school stationery.

“It was a big relief. At that time, I was very uncertain about the future of my children and thought they might leave their studies soon,” she says.

Beyond immediate material support, the program empowers caregivers by providing livelihood opportunities such as livestock units, small-scale entrepreneurial support, and skill-building initiatives to ensure sustainable income.

Seeing Shabrooza’s children doing well in studies while she struggled with daily expenses, CHINAR provided her with a cow unit in May 2024. The cow now produces eight kilograms of milk every day, earning her Rs.35 per kilogram. The organization also set up a Community Learning Centre, renting one of her rooms for the purpose. Alongside this, she receives Rs.1,000 as a widow’s pension, adding a layer of financial stability to her household.

CHINAR not only guides the enrolled children academically but also nurtures them through life skills education in communication, problem-solving, emotional resilience, and decision-making. This equips them to face challenges with confidence and prepares them for a brighter future.

“By combining immediate relief with long-term support, the CD Program restores hope, builds resilience, and enables families to rebuild their lives with dignity and stability, breaking the cycle of intergenerational hardship,” said Natasha Rather, Lead, Child Development.

Tajamul, Shabrooza’s firstborn, is now 13; Misbah is 8; and Amina, who was just three months old when her father died, is 6. All three children excel academically and receive regular support from CHINAR. The cow provides enough to keep the household running smoothly. Quarterly supply deliveries and continued guidance ensure that the family’s progress remains steady.

“Someone once helped me stand when I had nothing,” Shabrooza says softly. “Now I want to be able to help another mother rise when her world falls apart.”