Pakistan:
For the next three years the Trust has committed itself to
funding some very worthy projects in Lahore detailed below.
Amar
Alam
A few months ago the office was contacted by Sister Teresita
of the order of Jesus and Mary in the USA (we’ve still
to ask her where she got our address.) Sister Teresita was concerned
for a boy she had met in Pakistan. Amar Alam is 12 and has no
arms however; he has become very adept at using his feet. He
comes from an extremely poor family and like two-thirds of the
population is illiterate. This month we have arranged for Amar
to attend the TSA School in Lahore, a school we have supported
for the last four years. He is also attending the hospital and
we hope will receive artificial arms in the near future.
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CLAAS is the Centre for Legal and Assistance and Settlement,
an organisation committed to fighting cases in the cause of
Christians persecuted and imprisoned on the grounds of their
faith, particularly those accused under blasphemy law. There
is, however, other valuable work that CLAAS do; they provide
sanctuary for girls and young women who have escaped their abductors.
Every year thousands of teenage girls are abducted in Pakistan
and forced into marriage. Most come from the poorest of families,
many are Christians, as Pakistani Christians are amongst the
poorest and are restricted to the most menial "sanitary worker"
jobs. With the marriage comes the forced conversion to Islam.
Some do, however, manage to escape and are sheltered at "Apnaghar
", literally "my home" which offers them sanctuary in the heart
of Lahore.
The girls are often in great danger, and are likely to be
killed if discovered.
In addition to providing support for the shelter, the Epiphany
Trust will be providing, at the special request of CLAAS,
a specialist training in counselling for the "Apnaghar" staff.
To continue these most valuable initiatives we do need your
continued support. Please contact
us for more information.
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The school was started with only one child and now has 50 children.
In the school the main emphasis in educational work is training:
-
In daily living skills
-
Communication and vocational training. These skills and
training are given according to the individual living situation
of each child. The vocational training and art work are
based on the understanding, that creativity in art work,
can empower individuals with disabilities and promote self
determination. In this way, the school works on personality
development through creativity in the arts and vocational
work.
The school provides:
-
Support for poor families who cannot afford to send their
children to school
-
Counselling for parents
-
Assessment of each child's development and individual programmes
-
Referrals of children for medical or surgical treatment.
Last year three and this year two female adults had treatment
with the consent of their parents and which was made possible
by Government Family Planning
-
Lots of parents think that their disabled child will learn
little or nothing when placed in a regular school programme,
because they won't be able to meet the high standards of
academic achievement and learning rhythms
-
Considering the fear of parents and the community T.S.A.
is giving special training to community workers who wish
to start working in their local communities
-
The school has proper equipment for physiotherapy and the
children get Physiotherapy treatment by a teacher who received
his training in Karachi
-
The teachers participate in on going, in service training
and additional training workshops to upgrade their knowledge
and skills
-
After 15 years T.S.A. special school has a new building
(the Elsa Peter Building) named after the founder of T.S.A.
The building is specifically designed for our purpose and
has been built with foreign and local aid
Kamran at TSA Special School
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Children
of the Brickyards
One of the most heartbreaking programmes we are currently involved
in is that of trying to provide a basic education for children
"bonded" to the brick factories in Lahore. Children
as young as four make bricks with their parents and grandparents
to pay off debts which in many cases go back generations, and
live in squalor amongst the brick kilns. In 2002, through our
partners in Lahore, we have been able to provide one day a week
schooling for 50 children.
-
For the poor of Lahore, debt repayment can prove a very
painful, long term business affecting hundreds of families,
often for several generations.
-
Even when every member of the family "mucks in",
camping around the kilns in make-shift shelters, and miserable,
unhygienic conditions, working outdoors in temperatures
as high as 40° C, it's all they can do to keep up with
the interest on the debt.
Recently, the lawyers of CLASS have had a major success in
freeing over 300 children from this unethical practice. Click
here to find out more.
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Choose an area of work:
Burma | D.R.C.
| India
| Pakistan | Romania
| Sri Lanka
| Child Action main
page
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