Success Story of Umar Shahzad
Umar Shahzad S/O Noor Alam is the resident of upper Mangli Union Council Balakot. He is of the age twenty years. He was studying at class 7th at the Government High School Balakot at the time when the natural calamity in the form of Earthquake came on October 8th, 2005. Umar was also in the school when the natural calamity started to happen. All of the sudden the school building collapsed. Umar was also a victim amongst many others who badly got hurt in this panic. Unfortunately, Umar had Severe Spinal Cord Injury in this event on account of which his lower part completely got paralyzed. His family tried every effort to get him remedied but the nature of the injury was such that there was no chance of his walking on feet again like the other persons.
Umar was a hypersensitive boy on him the news of his permanent disability fell like a thunderbolt. He was not able to prepare his mind to accept this new reality in his life. After the year 2005, Umar spent most of his time at his home doing nothing. But instead of passing many years of that terrible event, Umar could not get out of that trauma. He remained also a patient of anxiety as he was spending most of his time meditating about his future life being alone at home. He was continuously meditating as why he has been inflicted in such a terrible way that he can not take few steps without anyone else’s help. How will he lead such a long life without doing any thing lying uselessly on his bed?
His overall health condition is very good. His family though very supportive with him but could not do any thing to encourage him or get him involved back in the life activities. As a result, incessant seclusion nourished negative thoughts in his mind which led him towards despondency and sense of worthlessness. His house is located at the hill top; he has the availability of Wheel chair, but seldom was he supported to get out of his home to go to bazar for any out side activity. This further increased the sense of loneliness in him.
Prior to the start of the project of Friends Pakistan and Handicap International, he had the perception that the Disability is the infliction of God on human beings. Such disabled persons can not do any thing productive in life but are doomed to wait death at their homes. After the start of the project “mainstreaming of PWDs in the society”, Umar was identified by the Social Mobilization team of Friends Pakistan during their field visits to Mangli Balakot. He was invited to participate in the awareness meeting which was conducted at Mangli. During the conduct of awareness meeting, the perception of Umar about the disability and his sense of dejection were explored in the probing questions which were posed during the meeting by the resource person of Friends Pakistan.
The staff of Friends Pakistan had continuous interaction with him since then to get him back on the track of normal life once again. As the current project of Friends Pakistan was having mostly awareness raising activities so these activities brought substantial perceptional and attitudinal changes in Umar as he started to realize that one can perform normal life functioning even instead of his disability if he/she develops a positive frame of mind.
Umar also got consented to become the part of PWD’s Forum which was to be constituted at UC Balakot for forwarding and protecting the rights of PWDs in their area. So when Umar got the awareness about the right direction a shift in his perception took place as well as his very attitude towards life also changed. His consent to be the part of the PWD’s Forum was indicative of the fact that he started to take interest in the life’s activities and he got this confidence that he still might achieve not only his own aspirations in life but he might contribute his role in the fulfillment of other PWD’s aspirations in life.
Umar was elected as the member of general body of the PWD’s Forum, Network for Disabled and Development Organization (NDDO). He is now planning to resume his studies from the eight class. For this, he just recently visited his school and had discussed this matter of resuming his studies with his teachers. All the teachers cordially hailed him back in school after the lapse of four (4) years and pledged to give him as much facilitation as it is possible. He is allowed just to come to take the examination of eight class, after having his preparation at his home owing to his difficult mobility as his home is at the hill top. One teacher offered him free home tuition. Suddenly, the disposition of Umar totally changed and he became brimful with the life blood and energy to do something.
Umar gives vent to his feelings on this colossal change in his attitude in these words. “Life is such a slice of bread in which grief is garbed in the apparent charms of life. It is upon human beings as how much they seize on the opportunities in life to achieve the fulfillment of his/her aspirations in life. If a person is deprived of any of his body part or any important capacity with the occurrence of any coincidence, this does not mean, life has ended for him but their might be much more in store for him. The only thing required is the positive bent of mind. If one has lost one capability, he might use the other faculty more strongly and efficiently to still get nearer to his goal as adversity makes a man to soar even higher. I will now take the examination of the eight class and then I will continue my further studies. I will take all the examinations privately as I do believe in myself that I will do away with all examinations with my self studies if I get appropriate guidance. I will be working for the PWDs of my area being an active part of our Forum. Government of Pakistan has announced several relaxations for the PWDs such as issuing of separate Identity cards and provision of loans with easy conditions. I want to do something for creating livelihood opportunities for the PWDs of our area. I will be working as a spur to activate our organization, NDDO to translate greater efforts into action for the uplift of PWDs by seizing on every such opportunity.” back
