Born in California, Himna was only 13 years old when she founded a non-profit organization and started collecting funds for different humanitarian causes. She is young, passionate, and full of ideas. Let’s have a conversation with her.
Himna, tell us about your project. How did it begin, and what was your inspiration?
I have always loved painting, but we didn’t have enough space in our house to keep all my paintings. I was constantly thinking of a way to solve this problem. My mom gave me the idea to sell my paintings for a good cause. I watched the work of GiveLight Foundation and was really touched by it as I have been to Pakistan many times and seen firsthand how children live on the streets. With my mom’s help, I set up my Facebook page and posted my first painting, which sold for $27. At the time, Pakistan had been hit by one of the worst floods in history, and we decided to give 100% of the painting’s sales to the flood victims. GiveLight’s projects are my inspiration; they are helping children my age around the world, and I want to be a part of it as much as possible.
Do you have a goal? How long did it take for you to reach it?
I set an initial goal to collect $1000 by the end 2022. I pretty much reached my goal within the first month as I collected almost $450 and got the amount matched, so I was able to donate almost $950.
So what is your best seller?
My bestseller so far is a painting of the ayah ‘رَّبِّ ارْحَمْهُمَا كَمَا رَبَّيَانِي صَغِيرًا’ — it was my first painting of Arabic calligraphy. I also do inspirational quotes in English on canvas.
What is your plan after achieving your goal?
I definitely plan to increase my goal – it gives me purpose. I also want to improve my painting skills. Personally I want to impact the lives of other kids by bringing happiness and smiles to their faces. I will continue to paint and support others with my work.
Tell us how people can find and buy your paintings and support the cause?
The best thing people can do is like and share my page so more and more individuals get to know about it. To place an order, they can simply message me through my Facebook page or Instagram page @PaintingForCause. People can tell me their favorite Quranic verse or inspirational quote as well as color theme, and I can customize the painting for them.
What is your pricing and donation percentage?
As the proceeds are going 100% towards a humanitarian cause, I am not setting a particular price but rather leaving it up to the customer. Thus far, the cost of supplies has been covered by my parents. Eventually as sales improve and my costs increase, I might keep just enough to cover my costs and reinvest in my painting, while still donating 100% of the profits. Again, I will suggest a price but leave it to my clients to decide how much they want to donate.
Tell us something about yourself, your hobbies, and what you want to be when you grow up.
I am 13 years old. I consider myself to be a kid entrepreneur. I run a baking and gift business with my mom and a friend, and the funny thing is, it started much the same way – I enjoy baking brownies and different cakes, but everyone at home is on a diet. So the only way I can bake is if I sell my baked goods or give them away. In addition to baking, I love painting, reading books, spending time outdoors, and working on my blog.
