“My life has become a little better now. At least I have something to eat. I can manage dal and roti. Things are far more peaceful than before,” says Parveen, sitting inside her small shop, neatly arranging packets of rations on the wooden shelves. Her tone carries both relief and exhaustion, as if she has survived a storm but is still learning how to live again.
Parveen’s mornings begin in the dark, long before the rest of her neighborhood wakes. She rises quietly, completes her household chores, and then walks to her shop. Behind the counter, she manages stock, calculates sales, and interacts with customers.
For many, this routine might seem ordinary. For Parveen, it is a sense of stability she thought she had lost forever when her husband Abbas died suddenly of a heart attack.
Abbas’s death came without warning and left behind a void too heavy to describe. He was the family’s only breadwinner, and his passing pushed Parveen and her five young daughters into a darkness filled with hunger and uncertainty.
“After Abbas passed away, there was nothing left. Everything was finished. We survived on whatever little people gave us. We did not even have money for dal and roti,” she says with eyes moist with the memory of those nights when she had to put her daughters to bed hungry.
Poverty crept into her home like an unwelcome guest and refused to leave. For weeks, she lived at the mercy of neighbors and relatives who would occasionally offer food.
The despair of not being able to feed her daughters weighed heavily on her. Yet, in the silence of her prayers, she hoped for a miracle, something that would allow her to stand again.
That hope materialized when her struggle reached the doors of Miles2Smile. The team listened to her story, witnessed her atrocities, and decided that she needed more than just temporary aid. She needed a sustainable source of income.
For Miles2Smile, rebuilding Parveen’s life became a priority. Instead of offering one-time relief, we decided to set up a small ration shop for her.
“This shop has given me comfort and peace. It has given me financial stability. At least now, we have food to eat, and I have some money of my own,” Parveen says.
The shop quickly brought back a sense of routine, pride, and independence. Sitting behind the counter, dealing with customers, and managing the accounts gave Parveen something she had long lost: peace of mind.
On one of our follow-up visits, Parveen demonstrated her wish to expand the shop. She wanted to sell milk and dairy products. But for that, she required a refrigerator. Recognizing the importance of her request, Miles2Smile provided one, allowing her to add milk, curd, and buttermilk to her shop’s shelves.
“Now I can easily sell milk, curd, and buttermilk. My shop is running well, and I finally feel a sense of ease,” she says.
Miles2Smile does not believe in handing out temporary relief; we believe in walking alongside survivors until the weight of their grief is lighter and the fear of hunger is erased. We believe rebuilding lives after tragedy takes more than charity. It takes long-term support and empathy.
