Dream of a deaf girl

Hyderabad, Sindh Pakistan — Hurmain Ashrif, ten, was discouraged by her own family and the neighbors for no other reason than her handicap. But it has changed now. As she has begun to learn how to study they have a new hope that she now won’t be reliant on them for the whole of her life.

Hurmain, deaf by birth, lives in Tandoallahyar, located 250 kilometers south east from Karachi. Her father is farmer, who doesn’t earn enough to feed his family of seven adequately. He always remains gloomy for this and scolds every family member, including Hurmain, for the tiny things. 

It makes the weak and confused Hurmain even sadder for she doesn’t like to be scolded. That is the reason she likes the school environment more than that of her home. “My mother did not love me, nor did my father. They reproached me because of my handicap, which hurt me. Now I feel comfortable here in School” said Hurmain. 

She now studies in grade three at Deaf Reach Program School, started by Family Educational services Foundation (FESF) and she looks forward to be teacher of deaf children.

“Whenever I see the people with their ability to listen and speak, I become sad, because I can’t speak, besides, society’s behaviour is also unbearable. I want to help deaf children, I want to teach them” Said, Hurmain

According to the USAID and FESF, there are 1.25 million deaf children in Pakistan of school going age. Nevertheless, less than 2 per cent of them can go to the school due to lake of the facilities provided by the state for deaf children. There is a very small number of schools for these children that too run in the big cities like Karachi, Islamabad and Lahore.

Sara khan, the coordinator of Deaf Reach School, told that they are providing quality education in the areas where education for the deaf is virtually non-existent. Tando allahyar is back word area , where 125 students from 13 different village getting deaf education and vocational training

Deaf Reach Schools and Training Centers, a project of Family Educational Services Foundation (FESF) is contending to provide quality education and vocational training to the deaf children in seven cities of Pakistan.

“There are very limited opportunities for the deaf children, therefore, we are providing them vocational training along with education so that they can make a living when there are out in the society” Said Fahemida Mustafa Abbasi, Principal of Deaf Reach School.

With the help of USAID, one member of each family, whom deaf student belongs, has been trained in Pakistan Sign Language (PSL). Relatives and parents are also encouraged to learn PSL from the PSL book, CD or online website, who can’t attend regular training sessions.

Speaking at the inauguration of the new class of Deaf Reach School, Fahmida told that these vulnerable students need to be love, cared with special concern and most of the parents don’t do that because they have no knowledge, they are uneducated. She said that we treat them as our own children.

It is said that Richard Geary, the executive director of the deaf reach schools, who lives in Pakistan for the last 25 years, had a deaf child, he tried hard to look for a school to send him to. But there was not any school for the deaf and he realized the sorry state which the big number of deaf children was going through.

Classes were taken every Friday afternoon at Hotel Metropole in Karachi. “The room was given to us free of cost by the hotel management” explained Rabia,a deaf teacher. adding “Subsequently, we managed to open a small centre in the Saddar, Karachi with a one-room office on the fifth floor of the building.” 

The Deaf Reach School in Karachi now enjoys the status of a college and seven schools run across the country. Where more than one thousand deaf  students are getting quality education, also created more than 50 deaf teachers.

Social activist Dr. Sono khangharani told that in the wake of combating whole nation terrorism , there is dire to attach importance these deaf kids by international communities and INGO to keep them away from the darkness . Because by taking some efforts we can change their lives towards normalcy .

Pakistan has been facing terrorism since many years, causing huge loss of life. Armed forces, civil society and the nation is attaching high attention to get rid off this menace. In the situation of uncertainty there is lack of attention towards betterment and welfare of these special children. So the future of these thousands deaf children is indecisive.