Dusty lanes filled with roadside vendors, donkey carts trudging down the lanes, street urchins playing around the corner were some of the sights one witnessed while visiting the Government Girls’ Primary School Abdul Ghani Brohi, Thatta in the torrid heat hitting Sindh.
The school was one of the child friendly schools out of the 300 primary schools in seven districts across Sindh where UNICEF has been aiming to promote a child centred education through a child friendly (CF) model.
The CF model upholds the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, which notes in part that all children have the right to play and participate in recreational and cultural activities.
The particular school is one to reckon with, as it has been rehabilitated through a generous fund given by the Royal Norwegian Embassy and channelised to proper use by Right To Play (RTP), a leading international, humanitarian organisation working on the holistic development of a child through sports and play.
Another fact that makes the school extremely noticeable is that it is located in an area largely inhabited by the Brohi community who are known for their allegiance to Brohi Khan of Kalat and are understood to be the most downtrodden among other clans.
The school is also considered one of its kind as it has managed to get the people of the Brohi community to willingly send their daughters here for primary education.
And this is an achievement in itself, because most of the clan does not believe in educating their females.
On interacting with the head mistress of the school, Parveen Akhter Qureshi, it was learnt that children studying there have undergone a massive change in their behaviour in a short span of time.
Initially, when they had come to her school, they were unkempt, loud and uncouth, wore colourful traditional garbs and refused to wear a school uniform, had zero knowledge about health and hygiene and did not care about anything.
But within due course of time, as the Life Skills Development through Sports and Play project was implemented in the CF schools, changes could be witnessed taking place in the children and also in the teachers’ behaviour towards them.
The once surly children were now warm and approachable with an interest towards learning new things.
One such child who stood out among the rest and is now leading them in activities as a junior leader is Sadori studying in Class 8.
A daughter of a mason and a sibling to two sisters and three brothers, Sadori has always borne the brunt of her mother’s frustration and father’s anger, as she is the eldest.
Coming from an extremely impoverished household, Sadori had never dreamt that she would ever get an opportunity to receive education and discover her true potential.
When she had first come to the school, she was a petrified young girl, whose self-esteem was in shambles because of scolding and beatings at home from her parents and taunts from her siblings.
The torment she suffered had caused her to erect a wall around herself. It was observed that initially, she refrained from even communicating with her teachers and fellow classmates, expecting jeers.
But with time, as the Life Skills Development through Sports and Play project was implemented and games like Elephant Ball, Organised Basket, Walk the Ball, Reflect-Connect-Apply were taught by RTP’s head coach through which children’s self-esteem grows and their confidence levels rise, positive changes could be observed in all the children both physically and mentally.
The young girl who was once afraid to even utter a word is now proudly leading her class fellows and junior students in games.
According to her head mistress, Sadori has been taking active part in all her classes and has become confident in her approach towards people.
When a visitor comes to their school, she is the first to welcome the guests by reciting the traditional welcome poetry.
On a personal front, it was noticed that when her mother had attended a parents’ day at school, positive vibes could be seen between both the mother and daughter.
And this gave immense happiness to the teachers and the head mistress that the project was able to make inroads not only at school but in the children’s personal lives at well.
Sadori is one such successful case among numerous others spread across the seven districts of Sindh where RTP has brought about positive changes in children’s lives, and it is envisioned that many more children would be reached by RTP interventions in future.
The writer is an M&E/Communications Officer at Right To Play’s Provincial Office, Sindh.
