My Story of Generosity
Once I was conducting a survey in the village, I found two orphan girls crying. They were in school dress, which led me to ask why they were crying. They said, “our mother does not have money for our school fees and we want to study more. Our village school is up to fifth class and now we need to go to the city by bus or rickshaw to get enrolled in middle or sixth class but for that we need money. We don’t have a brother and our father died some years back. Our mother used to stitch clothes of village women to run home affairs and pay little attention to our school studies. We are very thirsty for getting more education but our mother beat us today because she doesn’t have money even for food. How is it possible to cover your cost of education, it is better to survive first and wash dishes in other homes to earn little money. We don’t know how to work in other people homes and we know their women will beat us if we did not wash the dishes correctly, we are afraid.”
I went to meet with their mother, who was not in good health, and was desperate with tears in her eyes. I introduced myself, my family, and where I live. I said that I would like to provide your children with tuition for school; they were crying in the street and wanted to receive more education. Would you allow me to donate some money each month from my salary for their school studies and arrange their accommodations in a city where my friend's family used to live so that they can study more and in a better way? I asked her if she is afraid that I will steal her children or sell them. She can meet with my family and friends first, then decide about whether her girls go with me or not. She requested some time to think and said she will get back to me. At that moment I also gave her Rs.1000 for children clothes and food.
The children belonged to Badin district, which is about 430KM away from Sukkur. I wished to get them enrolled in Hyderabad district where some of my good friend's families used to live, and Hyderabad is near Badin district. I contacted three of the families and described my goal for helping the girls with their education. Two of my friend’s families declined and one family showed willingness to give them space in their home for three years. I agreed to this.
After two weeks, her mother contacted me and agreed to let me help her girls get a better education. She said she wanted to meet with them at least once a month. I said that is not a problem, you can meet with them any time, but not too frequently because it will be difficult for them to stay away from their mother. Before leaving them in my friend’s house, I made arrangements for their admission in a nearby school, and properly set them up with study materials and some toys. I gave them some money food and other supplies. The girls were crying for me to live with them but after talking to them we agreed that it is not possible for me to live with them in my friend’s house. I also taught them how to dial my mobile number in case they needed anything.
It has been almost two years that they have been studying in school. They are very happy with the work and do well in their exams too. When their mother used to come into the city she would bring some money for them. She would also bring butter and locally made shawls for my friend's family, so it made them more cooperative. The mother of the girls is now very happy with the children's education and very thankful for my help. She used to say God brought an angel to her family in the shape of me. The girls used to call me father and when they called me on my mobile they used to say HELLO DAD HOW ARE YOU!
Story by Ashfaque Qureshi
Edited by Etta Kantor