Naveed Metlo: College Degrees for his Brothers
Naveed Metlo began working as a farm laborer before the age of 10, while still in Grade 4 of primary school. At the time, he was one of four brothers and three sisters, and the entire family toiled in the fields to secure enough food for survival. Struggling to make ends meet, their challenges deepened as the family grew with the addition of two more sons. Despite the burden of school and farm work in the afternoons, Naveed kept at it and successfully completed secondary school education in 2021.
“In our village Bakhshan Metlo of Khairpur, we were not paid cash for the work we did on a farm. Instead, at harvest time we were paid in grain. We sold some of it for cash while the rest fed our family. Sometimes it lasted the whole year until the next harvest, but mostly we ran out three months earlier,” recounts Naveed. He says in those days none of the siblings had any spending money because any cash in the home came from the sale of grain and was kept by the parents.
After completing his education, Naveed returned to his old work. In 2023, he heard of an initiative led by Community World Service Asia (CWSA) and Catholic Agency for Over, providing technical training for suitable young men. The devastating floods severely affected Naveed’s village, damaging his house and completely destroying his family’s livelihood sources. As the family’s sole breadwinner, Naveed was identified among the flood-affected individuals when CWSA initiated the Skill Development Component. The selection process was carried out by Village Management Committees (VMCs) formed by CWSA, with the proposed participants’ list shared with the MEAL team for pre-verification. Following the verification, Naveed was selected to receive training in motorcycle mechanics. He completed a three-month training program along with a 15-day apprenticeship in the local market. After successfully passing the Trade Testing Board (TTB) exam, he received his course completion certificate. The three-month training was a cinch for a naturally gifted mechanic, especially because it brought him a stipend of PKR 550 (approx. USD 2) per day. This was the first pocket money the man had ever had. After the fourth week, Naveed apprenticed himself to a mechanic in town and spent his afternoons helping him and honing his skill further.
The ustad (master of the workshop) was a strange man, says Naveed. “As soon as I reached there, he would take off and disappear for the rest of the day. Gradually I began to realise the man did not have his heart in the work,” reports Naveed. But by the time he graduated from the training centre and joined his ustad, he had told Naveed that he was going to live in Karachi and Naveed could have the workshop to himself with some of the tools.
Naveed did just that and as one of the only two trained mechanics, he soon attracted good business. From nearby Kingri town, he purchased more tools on credit and his establishment soon gained the look of a well-established setup. That meant more business, he says. As of December 2024, he had repaid most of his loan of PKR 110,000 (approx. USD 395). On display, he had spare parts that turn over fast and because most repairmen in Ahmedpur do not keep such stocks, his outlet became the centre where people resorted.
“Spare parts are good business because profit ranges between 20 to 25 percent and currently I have a stock of Rs 80,000 [USD 287],” explains Naveed. Coupled with the tools and other accessories, his workshop is worth PKR 200,000 (approx. USD 718). To increase his earnings, his focus in November 2024 was on increasing his stock and display of spare parts.
So, what is it other than the fact that he is a trained mechanic that draws customers to his establishment? “First of all it is the outlook of my setup. Customers see I have spare parts and then my labour charges are about 25 percent less than other mechanics. Also, it is the respect I give my customers,” says Naveed.
Opening at 8:30 AM, he works for the next 10 hours. But sometimes when a wrecked engine comes in and the owner wants it done as soon as possible, he even has to work through the night. The earning in such cases is good and he goes home with a neat profit ranging between PKR 3000 to 4000 (approx. USD 11-14) rupees. A slow day still means that Naveed earns PKR 1500 (approx. USD 5). With this kind of income, it is easy for him to pay the monthly rent of PKR 4000.
He says being a motorcycle repairman also has bonuses. Used engine oil sells for PKR 150 (approx. USD 0.54) per litre, while old spare parts go for PKR 120 (approx. USD 0.43) per kilogram. Old brake shoes make the best sell at PKR 450 (approx. 1.61) per kilogram. “I save all the scrap for a month and make about Rs 10,000 [approx. USD 36] from its sale.” Though there are several other mechanics in the village, Naveed is doing good business because of the large number of bikes.
His natural mechanical talent keeps him from restricting himself to just being a motorcycle mechanic. In October, he borrowed a welding transformer from a friend who was not using it. “Welding is very easy to learn and I have taught myself,” says Naveed. If it goes well, he will return the borrowed machine and purchase a new one for his workshop. Before he got the machine, if there was any welding required for a job, he had to send the bike out to a neighbouring workshop. That costs money. But the way he has picked up the craft, it is clear that Naveed will soon be doing his welding with his own machine.
Asked what is the most satisfactory aspect of the work he is doing, he does not have to think hard. “I am paying for the education of my two youngest brothers. Every morning I bring them from the village to Ahmedpur for school and take them back for lunch,” says Naveed. He is very clear that while he has plans to expand his business with more spare parts, his real aim in life is to see that these two little boys get ahead in life with college degrees.
