Two Very Special
Places in Lahore
By Ras H. Siddiqui
CA
Lahore has changed
a great deal since my last visit. But 16 years
is a long time and can easily make one a stranger
in almost every respect, even in a city from where
one’s spouse originates. I’m happy to report that
the intervening years have been very kind to Lahore,
but feel sorry I cannot say the same for Karachi,
whose native son I claim to be. And ever since
landing at Lahore’s beautiful Allama Iqbal International
Airport on December 9, 2004 from Delhi (and then
to Karachi 5 days later), I had made it a point
to be positive in my travel writings.
Yasser
Hamdani & COMPASS Staff. |
And so two very
bright places that I was able to visit in this
historical city vividly come to mind at this moment
of recollection. Education is a topic that one
can analyze, report on, quarter and ponder over
repeatedly in the Third World context. That Pakistan’s
literacy rate is still abysmal is no secret. We
know that education can certainly help improve
the lives of normal people.
But how often do we think about its value to those
who are not normal? And how is Pakistan coping
with this problem to provide its “special children”
with a chance to improve their lives, when it
is struggling with its regular education related
goals? When the public domain cannot address this
concern, one can look at private initiatives to
fill in some of this huge gaps. In the areas of
education for either the physically or mentally
impaired children, especially those whose parents
are not from amongst the affluent, one is happy
to report that there is work being done in Lahore.
And the two places that I visited could use some
help from the overseas Pakistani community. Because
without our help, begging may be the only profession
that these children will have as they grow up.
The first facility encountered was during a walk
from a relative’s house in Model Town to the nearest
market. When you don’t go back to Pakistan very
often, even the walk to the market (which your
hosts may find a boring routine or unnecessary),
can be quite fascinating for you, the visitor.
And as I walked past a house with a sign that
said “Ganj Baksh Research & Rehabilitation Hospital
for the Disabled” a sense of curiosity and a need
to contribute navigated me in. Ganj Baksh here
only borrows the name of Lahore’s famous Saint
Data Ganj Buksh whose shrine Data Darbar is one
of this city’s most famous sites.
This hospital and school is mainly the brainchild
and family project of Mrs. Azra Khayal, who came
into this field due to a tragedy that hit her
own son, one that left him paralyzed. This facility
is a family effort that has turned into a community
project which now helps kids with various afflictions,
especially polio. It has a 10-bed residential
facility that gives individualized treatment to
the patients, and is also offering vocational
training to some of its success stories. Asked
about the state of disabled people in Pakistan,
Mrs. Khayal said, “Poverty AND disability are
a lethal combination here.
Ganj
Baksh Classroom |
” Taking me on a
tour of her classrooms, I met some of her students
and staff. She also introduced me to one of the
success stories. Her office was one place where
the tea and biscuits came accompanied by a lot
of care and where I felt a certain special joy
on being of Pakistani origin. Ganj Baksh Spinal
Research & Rehabilitation Institute can be reached
at http://www.ohrd.org/
or 155-C Model Town Lahore, Pakistan Tel: No:
5853155. Please visit them yourself and see the
place before you wish to donate.
The second place that I was able to visit was
a surprise, but not by chance. Over the years
here in the United States our community has had
the opportunity to hear from two interesting young
people, one by the name of Yasser Latif Hamdani
who was a student here at Rutgers for a number
of years and the other, Aisha Sarwari, who went
to San Jose State University and was the President
of the Pakistan Students Association. They are
not related to me but I have remained a fan of
theirs because throughout their stay in the United
States they had deeply cared about Pakistan.
Well they are both Mr. and Mrs. now, and slowly
settling down in Lahore with daughter Zoya. Aisha
is Editor of Naseeb Vibes a Webzine (www.naseeb.com)
and Yasser an aspiring lawyer currently Marketing
Executive at COMPASS, A Direction, Centre for
Mentally & Physically Affected Special Children.
And whether I was ready or not, Yasser certainly
was doing his job. And for the marketing pitch
I can only thank him. COMPASS is located at 74-FCC,
Gulberg IV Lahore Telephone 5759485 or 5759949.
It can also be reached via email at info@compassedu.com
for those that might be interested in helping
with this noble effort.
COMPASS currently has two options that Pakistani-Americans
might take an interest in. They have a “Sponsor
a Classroom” program which requires a contribution
of Rs: 300,000 (approx. US $ 5200) or a “Sponsor
a Child” program which requires a Rs. 180,000
(approx. US $ 3100). Yasser took me on a tour
of this very professionally run facility and introduced
a couple of very capable administrators and teachers.
COMPASS treats the more severely handicapped.
Kids with Autism, Downs Syndrome and Cerebral
Palsy amongst other disabilities are indeed quite
a challenge.
IEP’s (Individualized Educational Programs) for
each student, a one to one student to teacher
ratio, daily speech and physical therapy sessions
and specialized art, music and sports activities
were described in detail during the visit. I could
not meet the Director of Compass, Shermeen Alam
due to time constraints. But the tour was one
that gave me enough incentive to share this wonderful
place with readers both here in the United States
and in Pakistan and to make my own little contribution.
And if you (the reader) are ever in Lahore and
would like to see this place before making a contribution,
please call first. COMPASS is located very close
to the famous FC College in this city of rich
history and tradition.
In closing, one gets a good feeling about Pakistan
and its people after visiting places like Ganj
Baksh and COMPASS in Lahore. Special Education
is getting more and more attention in Pakistan
thanks to determined workers, parents and the
media. And for our expatriate Pakistani community
worldwide there are just two points to remember:
1) Forget for a moment the doom and gloom scene
that the media overseas is feeding you about Pakistan
and its problems.
There is also a blossoming Pakistan which nobody
will tell you about. And 2) Try to arrange a fundraising
program every few months or so and pick a school,
college or any other place of learning in Pakistan
to raise funds for. Have a good time with dinner
and entertainment and get your kids involved.
And at the end of the day, after expenses, please
try to collect about $1000 to $5000 and send the
money to places like these two or to Sattar Edhi.
Not only will you not feel good about yourself
and Pakistan but you will earn a great deal of
SAWAB.
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