RE-POST

August 24, 2012 – Ihsan, Quality Assurance

My name is Ihsan and I work in the Quality Assurance Department. My parents were in the teaching profession in Government Sector. They worked hard and did their duties honestly. I have two more brothers and three sisters besides me in my family. I am the eldest.

My parents always advised me to concentrate on studies. I tried hard but I used to think about my family problems all the time. I also couldn’t pass my matriculation examination, but my younger brother passed examination by securing 80% marks. My parents, brothers and sisters were feeling sorry for my failure. Eventually I did pass matriculation after many attempts and got admission in college, where again I had to face many problems.

My younger brother started a job in a bank after doing his B.Com. His income was very reasonable and soon after his marriage, he shifted to his own house. I was the eldest but still bachelor. Whenever I looked at my younger brother’s life, I prayed to God for a beautiful and pious wife.

Some friends told me about vacancies in the soccer factory. I applied for the job, got selected and joined the company soon after. I was very happy with my job and worked whole heartedly. I had a strong desire to earn a lot of money and get married. I had started to save money and deposit it in a “committee”1 of a group of my friends.

For the last few weeks, I had started getting headaches. Then one day an “eye camp” was organized in our factory by the Fairtrade Joint Body2. The doctor checked my eyesight and told me that my near-sight was not normal, rather it was weak and I would have to use glasses for the rest of my life. That day I received free medicine and glasses from the eye-camp.

I was grateful to the Fairtrade Joint Body2 from the core of my heart and prayed for them. Due to their efforts, I could get my eye-sight checked free of cost. When I was given money from the “committee”1, I got married. I have a wife now. When I reach home in the evening tired by the whole day’s work, my wife welcomes me with a beautiful smile due to which I forget about the tiredness. I, along with my wife, pray that Fairtrade Joint Body2 continues such projects for the betterment of employees.

Ihsan

1 “Committee” is a local saving scheme where normally some friends deposit equal amount and the sum is given to one member (normally chosen by draws). Next month the sum is given to next member and so on. “Committee” runs as many months as the number of members is.

2 The Fairtrade Joint Body receives funding from the production of every Fairtrade Sports Ball made for VOLO Athletics. This funding is deposited directly into the Fairtrade Joint Body Bank Account, then used by the community of employees by way of a democratic process.