Making world a better place to live by ‘Saving Dreams’

Students of Fazaia Education System School join hands to give back to community

Life is like a roller coaster with ups and downs. Love and pain go hand in hand in this journey. Love is referred to as an attraction or affection towards someone or something. It is a feeling that arises in a mother when she holds her child in her arms; similarly, love is exhibited when tears roll down the eyes of the father of a soldier when his son returns safely from his mission. On the other hand, pain is an unpleasant or even anguishing experience, severely affecting a person at a psychophysical and existential level. However, these definitions neither include the idea that pain and suffering can attack and even destroy the self. Pain is when the loved ones of people are killed, pain is when one is forced to do something which is not willed, pain is when one has eroded from family, pain is when one cries of distress. However, crying over pain is not enough. Taking steps to get rid of it is what matters in the end.

From the very beginning, I, Hayah Bahroni, a normal 15-year-old girl, a student like many out there belonging to a normal middle-class family would look around and realise how many of us are privileged while others are not. By the term “others” I’m referring to those who are deprived of their daily life necessities, those who have no one to support them financially or physically and those who sleep on footpaths in this cold winter while others like us enjoy our luxurious sleep cosily. But then I’d question myself why it is so? Why is everyone not treated equally even though we all are equal in the sight of Allah? I’d read about our beloved Prophet (PBUH) and look up to his personality on how he treated everyone equally, how he’d help those in need while not caring about himself. I’d read about Abdul Sattar Edhi and get inspired by all his charitable work but then again, I’d doubt asking myself what can I do? What can we do? What can be done to make life better? And thus, on that very day, Friday, November 26, 2021, I decided that I’ll try to do what I can to serve humanity. Taking small steps, I started a project beginning from my family and school to help make life better for the ones in need.

Care is the distinguishing factor between human beings and all other creatures on earth and that is what makes us humans special. A simple act of caring creates an endless ripple that comes back to you. We may not see it but every amazing action affects and benefits mankind. Richard MacDonald once said, “Charity work is very important to me and gives me an opportunity to give back to my community.” With such inspiration, we students of Fazaia Education System School (FESS) joined hands together to contribute towards this noble cause under the team name ‘Save Dreams’. This virtuous mission could not have been accomplished without the unrelenting support of the faculty members of FESS namely Mohsin Mubarak (Principal FESS), Kanwal Jaffery (senior section head), Afshan (class teacher O-3), Sheraz (coordinator O Levels) and Fahmeeda Khatoon (subject teacher Urdu). The preliminary struggle started with the collection of funds contributed by students of O-3 and FSC. A brochure was circulated amongst the senior classes and I was surprised to see how the future leaders of Pakistan – our youth – generously contributed from their pocket money to work towards this noble cause.

Our first visit was to Master Ayub’s school in F-6/3, Islamabad on December 13, 2021, where we students of O-3 donated stationery items along with stuffed toys and clothes from our everyday use. The activity was a huge success owing to the supervision of Kanwal Jaffery, Umar Chaudhary and Maleeha. Master Ayub by profession is a firefighter, who teaches free of cost in the evening in a park in the posh F-6 sector of Islamabad to the underprivileged. Currently, almost 200 students are enrolled in his open-air school. He has no car or house, and half of his salary goes to school expenses yet he has a beautiful dream which is to educate every child in Pakistan. Kudos to Master Ayub for his zeal and enthusiasm.

Then on December 14, 2021, our second visit was to SR Homes in PWD Housing Society, Rawalpindi with students of the FSC college section. Shelter by SR Homes is an orphanage providing shelter to around 100 children who have lost their parents and family. The basic purpose of this orphanage is to groom a child to improve cognitive skills, social-emotional skills, and increase technical skills within the field of early childhood to youth development and healthy peer relationship. There we contributed Rs37,000 in cash which was collected solely out of the pocket money of FESS students, distributed chocolates amongst the children and played different games with them. This second visit was conducted under the guidance of Mohsin Mubarak and Kanwal Jaffery among others.

My takeaway from both these visits is that in today’s busy world, we truly do rise by lifting others. We should try to serve humanity as much as possible; we should serve as an eye to the blind, an ear to the deaf, a voice to the voiceless and a source of strength to those living with disabilities. We must realise that we can change the world for the better only if we wish to do so and take the initiative ourselves instead of waiting for others to do it for us. We, students of FESS, pledged to make the world a better place to live – simply by Saving Dreams.