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Child Action International

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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Apna Ghar "My home" Shelter

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 T.S.A. Special School for Mentally handicapped Children

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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Burma | D.R.C. | India | Pakistan | Romania | Sri Lanka | Child Action main page

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The Epiphany Trust | 13 Winwick Lane | Lowton | Warrington | UK | WA3 1LR  E bill@epiphany.org.uk email Bill...