In the traditional society of Balochistan, women seldom venture out unless accompanied by the men of the family. Women work in just a few professions, often choosing to teach, or work in the garment trade. Shumaila Afsheen had other ideas. She had trained as a fashion designer, but decided to break fresh ground. Along with her sister, Faryal Gauhar, she set up a café named Sprinkles, in the Spinney Road area of Quetta.
The cafe is located near a mountain peak known as Jabal-e-Noor, (Mountain of Light). There are popular picnic spots in the vicinity, so along with men, there are women and children, waiting to catch a bus or stopping off on their way home.
Shumaila's idea began to take shape when some spare family funds became available. Instead of splurging on jewellery or clothes, Shumaila decided to make an investment in a new business. "We looked around to identify gaps," she says, "to find a niche for ourselves." There wasn't a single café with a family hall in the area and the sisters decided to provide one. Shumaila and her family worked on every detail of the décor themselves, designing chairs and tables, making sure the crockery and cutlery were attractive and creating novel items for the menu.
Supported by her sister, Faryal, she persevered with her task and soon Sprinkles became the café of choice for weary travellers seeking a place to rest and refresh themselves. The café managed to breakeven in the first month, and was soon turning over a small profit for its owners.-PR
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