The arrival of our last-born child, Mehnaz Fatima, as a handicapped person into our family set us thinking whether in the Divine design, there was a purpose to be fulfilled in her birth. It has taken us several decades to eventually find our way to that purpose. Thanks to our first-born child, Zeba, and her long sojourn in Gilgit, we were led to the proposal for establishing a Centre where handicapped children born in that remote area of Pakistan could be helped to achieve more meaningful lives.

It is our fervent hope that, with the resources with which we have been blessed, including the generous support of many friends and relatives, and the unstinting work of a band of selfless people of the Northern Areas, we can develop an institution that could support a program for the education of handicapped people in Gilgit and beyond, an institution that could become a sadaqae-jarriyah (a charity in perpetuity) that would fulfill the purpose for which Mehnaz Fatima came into our lives.

When I first entered into my inclusive class at MFEWO I had mix of feelings; fear, hesitation and off course shyness, says Hamid. I had many reasons for this state of mind like my learning challenges, lack of supportive environment around me which have casted me in a state where I started feeling that my dreams will remain the dreams.

I found a new world, my world, as if this has been made only for me – my friendly classmates with smiling faces, my kind teachers and above all the building where I freely move on my wheelchair playing with my friends. My teachers are helping me with the material and methodology best suited to me. Now I am in competition with my normal colleagues. I was flying high when my teachers rated me above average in quarter term assessment of my class, the first ever test in my life. Music is my most favourite class; it’s partly because of my passion for music and mainly because of our music teacher who found a very good voice in me. I excel in music and singing in my class and this has rekindled my hope that my dream of becoming a popular artist will come true.

Looking at my academic progression, my co-curricular activities, I can say its a big achievement but let me tell you there is even a bigger achievement – the change of attitude of my family members towards me; my parent’s love and affection for me, they feel pride in my achievements. My siblings take me for picnics and outings and it’s all because of CICD team’s home visits.
Thanks to parental sessions and a big thank you MFEWO