Key person: Azam Gill
We last visited here in August 2014 and were meant to visit again in March 2015 but had to divert as there was a major bomb blast in Lahore while we were travelling. We had no time to change our tickets to get to Islamabad.
The students have continued to learn with the tutor and are doing very well. 12 of the students are now fluent readers of Urdu and some can read basic English as well. This is making a huge difference in their lives.
It was unfortunate that while I was in Islamabad it rained the whole time and we were not able to get out to visit these people. We were due to meet on Sunday evening but it was just too dangerous to be out and about. However, I got a snapshot of most of the men who were involved.
Previous to this project all the men in the church were daily workers, cleaners and worked as unskilled labourers. Those who did not complete the training are still working like that. But for those who completed it, their lives and circumstances have changed radically.
Kamran now owns his own little business with a stall in the market. He never even dreamed this was possible before. The lights have gone on and all of a sudden he sees opportunities instead of just problems.
Shan in now the receptionist in a motor parts company.
Nasir used to be the cleaner and sweeper in a clothing company, now he is a supervisor and hopes to get onto the machines.
Salmoon is now a medicine dispenser at a clinic where he used to sweep and clean. He hopes to soon go for training to become a lab technician.
Imran now manages a store for another man in the same business where he was a cleaner.
Waqaas is now a salesman.
Shamoon was a poultry farm worker now he is a clerk taking and sending orders.
The main community this has affected is the Christian community in Rawat. It is only a small community but when this project first started only 1 or 2 people could read, no men could read and the young people were not being encouraged to go to school and were leaving school uneducated. They ended up with menial jobs, often just daily labourers and there was little value placed on education.
This not only affected the families, it meant that the church was dispirited and in a male led culture, the church was barely functioning. This has changed significantly as reported in the last report.
While here with Barbara and Azam it was agreed to finish this programme. The plan is that for the next year those who were part of it will continue to meet weekly and read together. They will read out loud and use the Bible and other books they can get their hands on. Azam and Barbara will continue to monitor the progress.
There are no issues or challenges currently. It had become a bit of a struggle for Barbara to get there as regularly as she wanted to because of the growth of the school and it took more of her time.
1) That the training has changed the loves of many people.
2) That the church is now functioning in a more healthy way.
3) That the Christians are now valuing education and encouraging children to stay at school. Before they were forced to leave early to get a job to contribute to the family income. The girls were pushed out to marry as young as possible as they were a drain on the family and no use for earning income. But with many of the girls now able to earn money from sewing things have changed. Now that some of the men are getting much better wages all of a sudden there is an incentive for them to stay at school longer as it produces much greater income.
4) There is a lot more morale among the Christians and they are starting to dream again.
This has been worthwhile but it is time to call a halt to this programme. It has served it’s purpose and is leaving a legacy in the community with many individuals and families having been assisted. The impact of this project will go on for some time, especially if the higher value placed on education can be maintained. It will see the children growing up in a completely different world to their parents.