CHILDREN OF LESSER GOD

SLUM KIDS OF PAKISTAN

Poverty is not a tragedy and Money doesn’t guarantee happiness. Having said that all happiness is always connected to material stability and worst it people are judged and prioritized on what they have rather than who they are, Hence making poverty a tragedy for many especially children.

If you ever visit a slum , any slum or down trodden area the first thing you will notice are the kids , and the condition they are in , tattered old clothes , no shoes or slippers mostly , malnourished and sickly but happy and if you look closely creative and intelligent. They can create games and toys from old bottles, tyres, cardboards, mud, rocks , whatever they can get their hands on.  It’s a shame how everyone talks about progress and taking the country forward, and educational development where every second day another project is launched and every year a new curriculum reform is floated but still the children remain street kids and creation of a lesser God! According to UNICEF Pakistan, 

  

‘’An estimated 22.8 million children aged 5-16 are out-of-school”.

Currently, Pakistan has the world’s second-highest number of out-of-school children (OOSC) with an estimated 22.8 million children aged 5-16 not attending school, representing 44 per cent of the total population in this age group. In the 5-9 age group, 5 million children are not enrolled in schools and after primary-school age, the number of OOSC doubles, with 11.4 million adolescents between the ages of 10-14 not receiving formal education. Disparities based on gender, socio-economic status, and geography are significant; in Sindh, 52 percent of the poorest children (58 percent girls) are out of school, and in Balochistan, 78 percent of girls are out of school. Nearly 10.7 million boys and 8.6 million girls are enrolled at the primary level and this drops to 3.6 million boys and 2.8 million girls at the lower secondary level.’’

These kids are intelligent, have the same dreams and wishes as any other child. They also aspire to have a car or to become a doctor or to go to a restaurant or buy a toy. The reason that they are out of school is lack of resources and funds. If a person is hungry and cold, he or she would look for food and shelter and clothes rather than education. Most children are out of school so they can help their parents earn or stay home and look after the house and younger siblings so both their parents can work. Poverty is the main evil hindering in students to get an education, we all are aware of that and it’s a known fact. The question remains, is it right to judge children and treat them harshly just because of their social status or do something about it? Is it only the responsibility of the government and non-profit organisations or us as individuals and people? The answer is simple , it is the responsibility of each and every one of us to play our part.

So, what to do as individuals? Be Human and have empathy, it’s that simple! If we want to make the world a better place, we need to start to be responsible on a personal level, instead of blaming others we should do our bit with all honestly! Buy a book for a poor child, feed them, but most importantly treat them as humans, as a living breathing miracles of Allah. If everyone does his or her bit with honesty peace will prevail and this world will be a better place for all. We can all just help one child at least to get education and become self-sufficient to break the chain of poverty and to lead a better life of equality and dignity. As Nelson Mandela said, ‘’As long as poverty, injustice and gross inequality persist in our world, none of us can truly rest".

(References taken from UNICEF PAKISTAN website)

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AAB-THE NEED OF LIFE

By: Ovais Asad Khan