Real Life Stories Details – 2023
10 years gone….in 10 minutes
“Brick by brick, with sweat and blood, I had built my house. Every rupee my wife and I saved over the years was dedicated to making this place. “One day, it will be worth it!” we reassured each other. All we wanted was a place we could call home-where we could live out our days in peace, together.
10 years… that’s how long it took to build it.
Then the flood came, and in 10 minutes, it ruthlessly destroyed everything we had. All that remains now is a rubble of bricks submerged under 7 feet of water. We did not even have the time to save any valuable items, let alone objects of basic necessities like clothes.
Everything my wife and I had was destroyed, from our home to our dreams and emotions. For weeks, we slept on the cold, hard ground. It felt like we were utterly alone in the world, waiting for Allah to send us a miracle.
In this dire and heart-wrenching situation when they were looking for someone to provide them with shelter, PAHCHAAN took the initiative of bringing light to their life. Our team has dedicated its utmost efforts to putting smiles back on their faces by rejuvenating their dream of owning a home. PAHCHAAN is a ray of hope for the people, and this is a story of an elderly couple who suffered alone in the aftermath of the recent floods. This Ramadan, with your assistance and generosity, PAHCHAAN’s team aims to provide rehabilitation, medical aid, and essential requirements to those who have been suffering in isolation. Let us become the miracle they have long prayed for.
It has been 5 months since the flood, but we still haven’t received any help. Our home is still a pile of rubble. We have no idea when or how we will get our next meal.
PAHCHAAN-Teaching Parents How to Keep Their Children Safe in Wilson’s Disease
This is the case of 8-year-old Jamal from Sheikhupura whose father couldn’t afford special diet for his son, who had Wilson’s disease.
It is a genetic condition where our body cannot eliminate excessive copper and damages vital organs like brain and liver leading to formation of fluid sacs in legs and feet. Patients with this disease must avoid leafy green vegetables, peas, and cocoa.
However, the child’s father, a daily wager, could only provide his family with the vegetables that were lethal for his son.
“I cannot describe the helplessness I felt while seeing my son’s condition getting worse by the day.” Jamal’s father.
Jamal’s condition had deteriorated to a point where his liver was damaged. He was taken to a local hospital in Lahore, where doctors recommended cutting off his feet.
The case came under PAHCHAAN’s attention and we covered all expenses for Jamal’s treatment. Fortunately, he does not need a surgery anymore. Instead, Jamal is on the road to recovery after getting nutritional and medicinal support through IVs and drips. Jamal’s father shared his gratitude saying,
“I am forever indebted to PAHCHAAN for giving my son a chance at a healthy and normal life that I never could.”
It is entirely possible to live a normal life with Wilson’s disease given that children only eat food advised to them by doctors.
*the names in the story are fictitious to maintain the privacy of the family.
From Despair towards Hope
8-year-old Jaleel from Basti Sahu, Punjab came to us with tears in his eyes. A snake had bitten him on his foot 3 days ago and he could barely walk.
مینوں بس خوشی ایے کہ میں نئی مریا He said sadly.
The words of this little child shook us. The wound on his foot had caused his skin to tear apart. We directed him to a medical camp, where his wound was promptly dressed and he was given the medicines that he desperately needed.
A few days later, Jaleel came to us again. He was positively beaming because the pain he had been experiencing for days was alleviated. It wasn’t short of a miracle that the snake (that had bit Jaleel) was non-venomous. But next time such a calamity hits, what are the chances that the outcome will be positive again?
PAHCHAAN does not want to leave the lives of such children up to chance, especially kids like Jaleel who have nowhere to go.
The Mother & Child Health and Community Centers that we are building would be the only hope for families in remote & rural areas of Punjab. They will ensure that timely treatment and medicines are provided to underserved communities.
With just PKR 270, you can facilitate a visit of a mother and her child to this low-cost center! Your Zakat will save lives.
A Child’s Child
When 8-month-old Jannat came under our protection, she was severely underweight. The pain we felt multiplied when we met the 16-year-old mother, Sumaira, who was just as malnourished as her baby.
These are children we can never say no to. When we looked at the fragile 16-year-old mother, we wondered how a child could possibly raise another child…
The generosity of our donors enabled us to provide milk, diapers, medicines and supplements for baby Jannat and her mother. We also advised Sumaira about the importance of breastfeeding, nutrition, and hygiene practices for the betterment of the baby and herself.
Such cases have provided us with the strongest motives to build Mother & Child Health and Community Centers in disadvantaged rural areas. These centers will target the 1000 days (from a baby’s conception to their 2nd birthday) to raise awareness and provide healthcare to prevent sickness in the mother and her baby.
With just PKR 270, you can provide life to countless mothers and change the fate of the children they bring into this world. This Ramadan, donate wholeheartedly to facilitate these Health Centers so that babies like Jannat and mothers like Sumaira can also live a normal life.
PAHCHAAN – Working for Mental Well-being of Children
PAHCHAAN continues to be a ray of hope for the marginalized factions of society. We are the first organization to offer psychological counseling in the flood-affected districts of Punjab. The most recent efforts of PAHCHAAN include:
- participation in a walk on 5th January to highlight the need to offer social and moral support to children suffering from trauma.
- A lecture was presented by Dr. Naeem Zafar on 8th January to school teachers on the importance of understanding the well-being of children so that they can learn in a stress-free environment.
- Provision of mental health services to youth from different educational institutes on 15th January.
It’s only because of the generous contribution from the community that PAHCHAAN is able to ensure that children grow and prosper in a stress-free environment.
For the innocent souls who have no one else….they have PAHCHAAN
It is most heart-shattering when the ones who are supposed to protect us fiercely, become our tormenters. This is especially true for defenseless, young children who solely rely on the undying love and care of their parents while growing up.
This story is about a young boy from Lahore who ran away from home to escape the horrendous abuse inflicted on him by his own parents. With bruises and cuts covering his body, a school principal found this young boy shaking and crying while he was on his evening walk along the railway station in Okara.
At first, the fear-stricken boy could not utter a single word. But when the principal kindly reassured him that no harm would come his way, the boy narrated his story. Being a committee member of PAHCHAAN’s Child Protection Unit, the school principal contacted us promptly. We located the boy’s family, and reached out to them immediately.
PAHCHAAN believes that children are blessings of Allah. They should be nurtured with compassion and dignity, never aggression. Therefore, before the boy was reunited with his family, we ensured that the parents understood this. A written contract was signed with the parents which stated that they will not beat him anymore and will treat him with kindness.
No child should feel like they have no one to turn to, or nowhere to go. So this Ramadan, give your Zakat to lend comfort to children who are all alone and suffering. Your help and support can save a child from a hopeless situation.
A nameless baby….who today has a PAHCHAAN
A 20-day-old unnamed baby girl was brought to the attention of PAHCHAAN’s Child Protection Unit by a stranger. He found a crying baby while passing by a garbage can and immediately rushed her to the hospital!
Now, she has a PAHCHAAN of her own. She has been adopted by an honorable family who welcomed her into their home.
Someone had ruthlessly tossed away Allah’s Gift, a beautiful baby girl. The deep cut on the tiny baby’s throat evidenced the worst kind of maltreatment. The baby was urgently admitted to the ICU, and PAHCHAAN covered her medical costs and basic necessities. We ensured the restoration of physical health and rehabilitation of that child. No child, boy or girl, should be treated less than a blessing from ALLAH. So this Ramadan, support our initiative of building Child Protection Units across Pakistan with your Zakat and help us protect innocent children like this baby.
Save Mothers, Save the Nation
The stories of 27-year-old Razia and 40-year-old Farah tell us how women’s health can affect families and disrupt even the most well-functioning households.
Both Razia and Farah came to us with severe anemia. What concerned us deeply was the fact that Razia was four months pregnant and Farah had been suffering from Arthritis as well. She was so weak that she could not even walk without support. The deteriorated health of these women was evident of prolonged malnutrition. Both of these women were given the much-needed iron supplements and multivitamins.
It costed us only PKR 600 a month to help these two mothers stand on their feet and live a normal life.
They were also counseled on the importance of maintaining balanced nutrition. Farah spoke of her recovery and told us, “I am doing much better now. Not only can I walk without support, I also manage my household chores easily.”
Razia received continuous support throughout her pregnancy in the form of vaccines and medicines. A lady doctor from the center also visited her home to provide counseling about her child’s nutritional needs and family planning. Razia shared her gratitude saying, “After receiving PAHCHAAN’s help, my happiness knew no bounds because my baby and I were doing very well.”
According to a survey report of the Journal of Pakistan Medical Association about 39.4% women in Pakistan are anemic.
Your 300 rupees can give a new life to a mother. So, this Ramadan, how many mothers can you support? Because this is not a matter of helping just a single mother, instead it is about saving the next generation.
Stand next to us and become part of this initiative. Save mothers, save the nation!
PAHCHAAN – Rescuing Two Young Girls to Safety
This is the story of two young girls from Rajanpur who narrowly escaped misfortune. It reminds us how vulnerable the children of our society are nowadays.
It was during PAHCHAAN’s work in South Punjab, that a community member noticed two girls standing with a strange man on the roadside. He observed them for a few minutes, grew suspicious of the man’s behavior, and called Rescue 1122. Luckily, the rescue team arrived in time. They arrested the man and took the girls into their custody.
The initial investigations of the rescue team revealed that our community member was right to be concerned about the girls’ safety. That man had kidnapped the poor souls from Sindh with the intent to sell them. Thankfully, police was able to locate their father and the family was reunited after much turmoil.
Even today, when we think of this heinous crime and what could have been the fate of these girls if they had not been rescued, it sends chills down our spines.
Children’s safety is PAHCHAAN’s foremost priority along with providing social and moral support to the underprivileged factions of society. We are only able to accomplish our goal of making this world a safer place for these children through your continuous generosity and support.
From a Playful Afternoon to 48 Hours of Peril
Recently, we received a bone-chilling case from Multan that portrays how severely the safety of young children is compromised in this country, and how desperately they need our unfaltering protection…
One afternoon, a 7-year-old girl went to a park with her baby sister to play. After a few minutes, a woman approached the elder sister, and told her to buy some juice while she looks after her baby-sister. How could a little child resist a delicious treat? She took the money and left to get some juice.
By the time she returned, the woman had disappeared along with her baby sister.
The whole neighborhood was in a state of frenzy. The little baby’s family was inconsolable. During this precarious time, the police reached out to PAHCHAAN and asked for our help. With our timely assistance, the 2-year-old child was rescued within 48 hours.
It was a relief that PAHCHAAN had the necessary resources and community’s trust that enabled the timely retrieval of that poor baby.
Apart from helping people in their hour of need, PAHCHAAN dedicates its efforts in raising awareness among the public so that such perilous situations never occur in the first place. For that purpose, our Child Protection Units offer child protection trainings and community outreach programs.
We urge you to join hands with PAHCHAAN this Ramadan and give your Zakat to the deserving so that innocent kids and their families don’t suffer such pain and loss.
From The Street to Her Father’s Home
In early January 23, we received a case of an 8-year-old girl from Gujrat that proves how human beings are often so merciless. It all began when the girl went to see her cousin, who lives across the street. About an hour later, she was found unconscious on the street and taken to the local hospital. Early medical examination revealed that she had strangulation marks on her neck.
It’s a sad reality that the urgency of earning a livelihood makes it difficult for parents to ensure the safety of their kids.
The girl remained unconscious for 15 days after that horrible incident. PAHCHAAN’s Child Protection Unit at the local hospital took care of all expenses regarding the medical and legal support provided to her.
Gujrat police are now investigating the matter, giving us hope that anyone who ill-treats the children is dealt with an iron fist.
While there are those who harbor malicious intentions for children, there are people like you whose efforts enable PAHCHAAN to continue protecting children. Donate generously so that no child is left abandoned on the streets.