Highlights
- Pakistani female engineer becomes food delivery rider as COVID-19 hits soon after her arrival
- Iqra was discouraged, stared at by members of Pakistani community
- ‘Sole motive to earn halal income, don’t care about people’s comments': Iqra Naseem
A graduate of Pakistan’s prestigious National University of Sciences and Technology, Iqra Naseem left her job as a planning engineer in her home country to migrate to Australia, where she ran into the face of challenges posed by COVID-19 within days of her arrival.
An ambitious young woman, Iqra moved to Australia in March 2020 in search of a bright future. Just after her arrival, the pandemic struck, Melbourne's lockdown ensued and put her in financial strain. She then chose the tough path to make a living.
Unable to get a job, Iqra’s friends gave her the idea of becoming a food delivery rider.
“My savings drained out within three months of arriving in Pakistan. Friends in Sydney who were already doing food deliveries, suggested I try it out too.
“The idea clicked with me immediately, and I made an account with Uber Eats, hired an electric bike, and started the job. I didn’t tell my family in Pakistan about this,” she told SBS Urdu.
“I would cycle 10 hours a day. Many people, especially from our community, would discourage me,” Iqra added.
I believe your growth starts when you work on what you fear the most
Talking about the challenges her job poses, she can’t choose which is bigger: Melbourne’s unpredictable weather or strange stares from her own community.
“I am not that physically strong to cycle uphill, especially amidst Melbourne’s harsh weather. On top of that, being stared at by members of my community and the continuous disapproval I get for choosing this path, created difficulties for me.
“A member of our community even asked me to cover my face,” she added.
But all she encourages Pakistani women to do the right thing to earn.
Our sole motive should be to earn in a halal (Islamic) way.
"Let people say whatever they want. Don’t let fear come in your way,” said Iqra.
While working one day, a man doing the same job asked her how she felt about her job despite being a civil engineer and not doing a blue-collar job in Australia instead.
Nowadays, Iqra works in the sanitising project of Yarra Trams. She is happy with her job but would do food deliveries again if she got the chance.
“Apart from its financial benefits, Uber Eats provided me an opportunity to explore Melbourne and interact with people,” Iqra concluded.
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