In Sialkot, Pakistan, generations of women have hand-stitched footballs, but this tradition is fading. Ansar Majeed, 55, has been doing it for 35 years; her hands are calloused and cracked from decades of pulling waxed thread through panels.

She works in a stitching centre in Sambrial suburb with about 25 women aged 16 to 55. The walls are brightened with murals painted by her daughter, ceiling fans struggle against the heat. Some women have worked here for 5-10 years.

Sialkot produces about 70% of the world's hand-stitched footballs, but machine stitching and thermal bonding are replacing hand labour. Now hand-stitching is only used for premium balls, leading to fluctuating orders.

Ansar's day starts early: she prays, reads the Quran, makes breakfast. Her hands crack in cold, dry weather; summer is easier as the synthetic leather softens.

She works at the centre opened in 2008 with her husband, who taught her. Together they trained many women. The centre is monitored by IMAC, an organization formed in the 1990s to eliminate child labour.

Abida Hussain stitches at home with her husband and four daughters. Her day begins with dawn prayer, then breakfast and watering plants. She stitches 3-5 balls daily, earning just over $6.

Abida's daughter Sadaf says this work paid for their education and built their home. She values earning without leaving home, as outside there are safety concerns and social pressures.

Local manufacturer Khurram Khawaja says 5-6 years ago hand-stitched balls were 80-90% of production; now 20%. He believes hand-stitching could disappear within 8-10 years.

Despite this, Sadaf says: "Orders go up and down, but we keep the faith and find peace through it all." For her family, the craft remains worth holding onto.

Source: www.aljazeera.com