The Invisible children of Khamosh (Silent) Colony
Khamosh colony is anything but silent. It echoes with the sounds and the bustle of throbbing, messy, life. The children of Khamosh colony are anything but invisible. They run and jostle through the narrow alleyways in spectacular technicolour. Darting from one gali (alley) to another, bobbing and weaving through the imbricated puzzle-piece-houses. They may appear to have the powers of an invisible cloak, now you see them now you don’t, but they are simply master guides, passepartouts of their own kingdom.
In truth, the children of Khamosh Colony are anything but invisible. Except in one important way. For the government of Pakistan 20% of these children do not exist. They are not born, they do not laugh, they do not cry, they do not get an education. They do not exist in the database, so they do not exist at a school desk. They are the shadow children of an invisible Pakistan. A Pakistan that exists in a parallel undocumented universe.
The children of Khamosh colony got lucky the day Qari Muhammad Shehzad, a young Quran teacher, opened the doors of his Madrassa (Quran School). A small madrassa with no affiliations, orphaned thankfully of all political and sectarian influences, where one hundred of these children are taught the Quran. Over half of them cannot afford the Rs 200 ($1.25) per month tuition, but Qari Sahab does not turn anyone away. Under this guise, he provides a safe place, a sanctuary, a de facto crèche for our anything-but-invisible-or-silent children. Qari Sahab runs 3 shifts: the morning shift for the little ones, and the ones who are not in formal school, an afternoon shift for those lucky enough to be documented and in school, and an evening shift, after the Isha (Night) prayer, for the parents who want to learn to read the Quran (or simply learn to read).
One hundred kids in 3 small rooms, 55 boys and 35 girls, overseen by his young wife Kulsum. One hundred kids who are safe and off the streets, who irrespective of which “shift” they belong to, choose to spend their entire day at the Madrassa with their Mary Poppins-Qari, who knows their stories, their heartaches, who celebrates their achievements, and strives in between to teach them as much as he can. In Khamosh Colony the Madrassa is a portal. A gateway to a life in an alternative universe, a life of literacy, health, and most of all visibility.
The children of this madrassa are very much seen and heard, seen by their Qari, seen by the wonderful Doctors of DMC (Dow Medical College) Class of 2000 who are helping us with medical camps,medication and food support, seen by the countless supporters and volunteers of the Boon initiatives, seen, and heard by you.
Please help us ensure that these children and their families are seen and heard
• For the children requiring lab tests (following the last Medical Camp), specialist care and surgery, we may require additional financial support. Alternatively, if you are a Medical Specialist or Surgeon in Karachi wishing to volunteer your services, please do hop on board! We would love to extend the medical clinics to the parents, specially the mothers!
• To improve nourishment, we are looking to implement a Ration support program with the help of the ORB foundation. Each ration bag costs Rs 6,500 ($37) per month per family. For Ramadan at least we would like to cover all the families.
• To ensure that the children get a variety in their diet, we are targeting a Rs 300 ($1.75 per week per family/ $88 per family per year) for supplements such as bananas, milk and whatever additional fruits the budget allows.
How we are already helping
• The first free health clinic was held on last Sunday, March 6th by Doctors Faraz Mirza, Anita and Faisal Ahmed (and their lovely assistant Ayaan) of DMC Class of 2000.
They examined 25 children. Common ailments include scabies, allergies, malnourishment and stunted growth. A few more serious cases were identified, a polio case, a little truly khamosh girl, with no voice, a 7-year-old suffering from incontinence and depression after having lost her mother, and some small minor surgeries. The children of Khamosh Colony will break your hearts with their stories, and heal them with their smiles.
DMC Class of 2000 is now arranging follow-ups and referrals to specialists (Dr Nawaz Ahmed, Dr. Yassir Naqi Khan) , fulfilling prescriptions, Lab tests. Arrangements are also being made to arrange visits to Dr Raheel Tehsin Rahman for ophthalmic consults where required.
• DMC Class of 2000 and the Boon Initiative supporters are providing funds to help with the madrassa rent and to sponsor the non-paying students. Every Friday biryani is provided for all the students, along with a little treat. Fridays are for kahanis from the seerah (The life of the Prophet SWS), conversation and a little fun. Ration bags (Food support) are also being provided for the month of Ramadan.
• Eid-ul-Fitr outfits for every child are being sponsored by a very generous Boon Initiatives donor. The outfits will be sewn by one of the https://apressoleil.life/ seamstresses-in-training (A Boon Initiative focused on heritage protection and empowerment of women). Fatima lives in the colony and her children attend the madrassa.
• The Boon Initiative’s Access-to-Justice http://kpm.jhq.mybluehost.me/ is working with Qari Sahab and the families to document all the children who need birth certificates and their parents who have issues with their CNICs (Computerized National Identity Cards). The next step will be to work with Qari Sahab to get the children into schools.
Should you wish to help in any of these projects email us at the info@thebooninitiatives.org with your pledges or your questions..
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