Dignity, Vol I

© 2013 - Beaconhouse


Table of Contents Inner Satisfaction 5

Look and see, doesn‟t it make you cry? 6

More Than We Will Ever Have 8

A Summer Well Spent 11

Unforgettable Experiences 13

A Journey of Self-discovery (2 stories) 14

Making a Difference 15

Exploring New Frontiers 16

A Learning Experience 17


Back to Basics 18

A Mixed Bag 19

My Reckoning 20

Do Unto Others…. 21

The First and Topmost Priority 22

Doing Our Duty 24

An Experience of a Lifetime 25

Forging Ties 26

Respect For All 28

Upholding Honours 29

The Quest for Equality 30-31

Striving for More 32

Working For The Community 33

Shared Happiness is Doubled Happiness 34

A Place Worth Visiting 36-37

Adding Value to Life 39

A day with Little Angels 41

Spreading the Word 42

Making a Difference 43

Honouring Nurses 44

Fighting For Life 45

Lending a Helping Hand 46

Dignity Human Rights 47

Global Day Celebrations 2013

Central Region 48-49

Southern Region 50-51

Northern Region 52-53

International Division 54-55


“Every life deserves a certain amount of dignity, no matter how poor or

damaged the shell that carries it.” RICK BRAGG


A few months ago, I had the opportunity to volunteer at Dar-ul-Sukun.

It is a private institute that caters to the needs of mentally handi-

capped individuals. I worked there for three hours every day and

spent time with these people. I even fed them sometimes. It was an

eye-opening experience for me. The love with which these handicapped people live serves

an example for all of us. Even though they are not as privileged as we are, their hearts are

filled with warmth and affection. Their families abandoned them, so they have created

their own family at Dar-ul-Sukun.

I mostly spent my time with the children, teaching them about letters and poems. Here, I

noticed what these children longed most for was a little affection and attention which

their parents had not given them. During this time, a strong emotional bond developed

between me and those little angels. My last day at Dar-ul-Sukun was a painful one because

one of the little girls, Cynthia, had started to weep as I was leaving and this really touched

my heart. Even though my volunteer work has ended, I sometimes go to Dar-ul-Sukun

just to meet her. Wajiha Shah

Gulshan A Level

Karachi

Inner Satisfaction


Watching their esteem dying by,

You say that words don‟t hit you hard,

Then why are their egos now broken

shards,

They utter a plea, Won´t you Save Our

Souls.

Without their dignity, can they be

whole?

These innocent beings, a simple want,

Consider them equal, no more pity or

taunts,

Some people work so hard to make

their place,

You make them pariahs, don‟t deny

the case,

Spend a day and you´ll know they are,

Suffering from society pushing them

so far,

Don‟t kill their fire, you´ll be sorry one

day,

For they have rights, whatever you say,

Spent three hours, my eyes are opened

now,

They are better than us, why should

they bow.

They have their dignity, that´s what

matters the most,

While we are nothing but merely lost

souls.

Amena Amir

BSS Sargodha

Look and see, doesn’t it make you cry?



T he tinkling sound of their laughter reached my ears as they ran around chasing

each other… The scene depicted here is not that of a public or private school,

but of SOS Village Sargodha.

However, is there any reason why SOS schools should be considered any dif-

ferent from other schools, looked upon with pity? Why should these children get fewer op-

portunities than us just because God bestowed his blessings on us? The reason is embed-

ded deep within the society, an aversion to all things different. Yet, despite all these at-

tempts to outcast these innocent beings, these children have learned to make a place for

themselves in the world, while protecting their self-esteem.

Active in 133 countries worldwide, the Save Our Souls mission has helped innumerable

children. In Sargodha itself, SOS provides orphans and the destitute with shelter, teaching

facility and a mother. A beautiful playground, exceptional food and extracurricular activi-

ties are part of the package. The SOS Village has attempted to rebuild these children‟s bro-

ken lives and has succeeded. A day spent in the SOS Village can never be forgotten. The

students are sweet and innocent, always welcoming visitors. A smile appears on their gentle

faces when they see an outsider and they immediately melt your heart with their warmth.

Their strength is exemplary and inspiring.

Nasir Tanveer has been a part of the SOS family since he was 13. He completed his Mas-

ters in Business Administration from the National University of Modern Languages, Is-

lamabad and is currently working with a Saudi company.

Most people look down on them, yet they keep standing firm and living in the Village with

probably more dignity than any one of us ever hopes to feel. So why is this society intent

on crushing these children‟s spirits? Ask yourself that, because we are the society.

More Than We Will Ever

Have


Amena Amir

BSS Sargodha


Azka Asad

Beaconhouse Educational Complex

Rawalpindi


R ecently, I started working with an NGO working for the betterment of the less

fortunate people of Pakistan; people who we shamelessly classify as

„undignified‟ because of their lack of money, their torn clothes, and their poor

backgrounds. With the NGO, I visited a park where 300 children including beg-

gars sat on the floor being taught free of cost by a very generous man. They sat in straight lines

on equal distance from each other. They had different religions, age, values and backgrounds

and the way they talked to me, to their teachers and to each other was beyond my belief. That

was the first time in my life that I felt genuine respect and that is when I learned what respect is.

What reason did they have to treat me so well? They had grown up learning to listen quietly and

obey, to not respond, and to make the best of what they had and to help each other out. They

never expected to be respected because they did not consider themselves worthy of that consid-

eration. It‟s a tragedy how everything in this world works on the basis of the money in a per-

son‟s pocket. Does dignity really have anything to do with how fortunate a person is? No, not at

all!

Dignity is about what a person is, what are his values and his beliefs, how he treats the people

around him and most importantly what his perspective is. Reaction to a situation would always

depend on how that situation was interpreted. If our perception is positive our response would

be positive and in everybody's favour so therefore it would be a dignified and respectful re-

sponse.

A person who has a roof above his head, food to eat and clothes to wear is better off than

most of the world‟s population, but better in terms of fortune not dignity. I consider a person

who forgets his ego to feed his family more dignified than a person who has everything at hand.

When we deny the poor and the vulnerable their own human dignity and capacity for freedom

and choice, it becomes a denial of both our collective and individual dignity, at all levels of soci-

A Summer Well Spent



I t is with great happiness that I reflect back upon the Community Service Pro-

gramme 2013, which I was a part of during this year‟s summer break. The experi-

ences that we all had together were truly one of a kind and I will cherish them

forever. Through the course of those four weeks of tirelessly switching from

pens to markers to oral techniques and meeting new people and making new friends, I

came to realise the importance of community service programmes and their impact on

society and more so on our own selves: they make us better human beings with an im-

proved understanding of society and the part we can all play to make it better.

I was quite excited on the first day and nervous at the same time. The teachers had us

gathered at our workplace and I got to meet all the students. I remember being very

frustrated at the end of the first day: I had yet to adapt to this new environment that I

had been put in and the burden of the responsibility that I had taken on weighed on me.

But as it is with children everywhere, my students soon won me over and it started to

feel like home.

Just like any other adventure, this one also had its ups and downs. There were the highs

and there were the lows, but we managed to pull through and keep the students well-

informed. The teaching experience was quite novel for me. Adapting to the students‟

level and then trying to get through to them with whatever skill I had in order to make

them learn wasn‟t an easy task, but at the end of the day the hard work paid off when

we received a good response from the children.

I walked out of that programme four weeks later with something extremely valuable: an

amazing experience that came about with the combined efforts of each and every per-

son involved, directly or indirectly .

To conclude, I would say that I, Nabeel Khalid, am a proud member of the Community

Service Programme and would encourage the administration to continue organising

such initiatives, in which I will hopefully get to participate again someday!

Nabeel Khalid

BMI Boys‟ Campus,

Islamabad

Unforgettable Experiences


W hen I was given the task to head the

Community Services Society‟s Pro-

gramme for 2013, I was hesitant to

take on a responsibility that required a

lot of dedication, but in the end I was proud of my

decision to go ahead with it because I was able to learn

a lot about management, teaching and, in fact, control-

ling my temper when somebody got on my nerves!

I discovered traits within me that I never even knew

existed. Above all, I managed to overcome my fear of

speaking in front of a large audience and I thank the

administration and my teachers for encouraging me

throughout these three weeks.

It was a completely life-changing experience and my

soul felt rejuvenated when I was done. I want to pro-

fusely thank the team of teachers who worked along-

side me, as well as the administration for all its sup-

port. Without their help and dedication, the pro-

gramme would not have been as successful as it was. It

was a great learning experience and those three weeks

were some of the best of my life, and the programme

was worth each and every second I spent on it.

C ommunity service has been by far the best

experience in my short tenure of 16 years

in this world. It was engaging and comfort-

ing for my soul and after the riveting three-

week experience, a sense of responsibility was inculcat-

ed in me.

At the end of this programme, I discovered quite a few

things about myself, chief among them my capabilities

as an active, responsible and able teacher. Maturity was

the highlight of the many good things I gained through

the programme, and alongside it I learned the hard-

ships our teachers face and the respect that they right-

fully deserve from their students.

This programme shapes the students during the transi-

tional period between school and college, thus making

them healthy and productive members of society, as

well as individuals with a sound morality and stable

thought. In the end, all I can say is that this was a fruit-

ful programme that should be extended to the younger

students, who need to be nurtured at a tender, impres-

sionable and decisive age.

A Journey of Self-discovery

Ali Wajee-ur-Rehman

BMI Boys‟ Campus

Islamabad

Hashir Banuri

BMI Boys‟ Campus

Islamabad


Ahmad Ali Naqvi

BMI Boys‟ Campus

Islamabad

T he Community Service Programme 2013 was a very successful initiative. It seemed like an excel-

lent idea to give children studying in government schools a good revision and a strong base over

the summer before starting the new academic year, and I was all for it.

My most immediate observation was that the

children were lagging behind their private school peers and

some of them had to practically start from scratch, without

even knowing how to properly read the alphabet.

We worked hard for a fortnight or so to help them as

much as we could, and it worked out pretty well. Some of

the children were actually reading fluently by the end of it,

which was very surprising to me given the short amount of

time we had to make any sort of tangible difference.

We tried to create an engaging atmosphere where the chil-

dren could learn and relax unlike their actual classes at

school, where the learning environment does not interest

them much or engage their minds, as they are forced to

learn things by heart. They opened up to us and created a friendly bond with us, which allowed them to learn

much quicker and with significantly more enthusiasm and eagerness.

We faced problems with pronunciation, reading, spelling, grammar, and mathematical solutions, but apart

from some flawed basic knowledge, their concepts were generally sound. Some children needed more atten-

tion than others and so we devoted more of our time to them to make sure that they were not left behind.

The experience made me feel pretty good about myself and what the school was doing. It was not only the

children who learned something from the initiative: we learned our fair share of things as well! We discovered

skills within us that we didn‟t know existed, and above all, we learned how to bond with these children and to

convey concepts to them in a way that they could grasp with ease.

Yet again, I must hail this initiative and I look forward to participating in it again as soon as possible.

Making a Difference


I t is very difficult for me to compose a comprehensive piece of writing on my experiences in the

Community Service Programme 2013 that encompasses all that I came to love about it. To say

the least, it was a truly novel experience, which I enjoyed immensely along with my classmates.

There was a lot about the experience that I loved. Teaching younger students was the most en-

joyable thing. We savoured the interaction with the new students, and we were able to help them in many

aspects of their syllabi and studies, but what I cherish most is the knowledge that I gained from working

in the capacity of a teacher.

After going through this enlightening experience, the respect that I have for my teachers has been consid-

erably augmented. I have come to acknowledge the pains they bear to teach and educate us, with all their

capabilities at our disposal. Standing in the classroom, I realised the efforts our teachers make to ensure

that we form concrete and solid concepts of the subjects that they teach us, how they have an infinite ca-

pacity for tolerating our mischievous activities, and how magnanimous they are in helping us in our times

of need.

Though these things may sound exceedingly clichéd, I reiterate them because I have now come to fully

understand and comprehend them, and consequently, appreciate them. Not many people truly realise the

significance of the efforts and toil of a teacher, and it is because of this programme that I have come to

join those who do, to some extent.

As I write this, I feel an overwhelming sense of gratitude and indebtedness to my own instructors and

pedagogues. Also, I feel that this programme has helped me become a better and more tolerant human

Mustafa Aziz

BMI Boys‟ Campus

Islamabad

Exploring New

Frontiers


T he Community Service Programme 2013 was a great initiative from which I learned a great

number of things. It was great exposure, especially for the younger students, since most of

them hadn't been involved in an activity like this one before. We went to classes all pre-

pared, and we had different activities each day. We made multimedia our basic teaching re-

source as it attracted the students‟ attention, because they had never seen anything like this in their schools

before.

Teaching them English was one of the toughest tasks because all of them knew how to prepare their pages,

how to write their names in a very calligraphic manner, and how to draw margins, but after doing all of this

they would go blank with absolutely no idea what to do next. They did not know how to string words to-

gether to make basic sentences and their basic speaking skills were poor. They were reluctant to interact

with us at first. It may have been because we were new to them, but I doubt that because most of the time

we acted very casually and openly around them, and made it clear on the very first day that they could ask

us all sorts of questions without hesitation. My guess is that they were often snubbed in their classes, which

was also evident in their hesitance to answer questions.

Most of them knew what was in their school syllabus, but learning was very confined and limited only to

what the syllabus said. Their general knowledge was nominal, and when we asked some of the students to

tell us how they were taught at school, the most prevalent way seemed to be through reading texts. There

seemed to be practically no descriptive learning at play in the usual scheme of things. What I felt after tak-

ing part in this programme was that our country‟s education system has become obsolete and static, and it

is certainly not doing enough to educate our young generation. More needs to be done because these chil-

dren are the future of our country.

A Learning Experience

being, and I am deeply indebted to the school administration and faculty for organising it. I wish to see

this programme grow manifold and hope that all the values and ethics that I have gained from it stay with

me till my last breath.

Huzaifa Saeed

BMI Boys Campus

Islamabad


Waleed Ikram

BMI Boys‟ Campus

Islamabad

I was a part of the Community Service Program 2013 and it was a great experience

for me as well as for the children we were tasked with teaching. I taught children

from Classes I and II. At first they were shy, but they eventually opened up and we

developed such a friendly relationship that at the end of it all, I did not want to

stop teaching them!

I had to put a lot of effort into everything. I had to start from the very basics. Some stu-

dents were sharp and picked up new concepts quickly, while others took their time and

demanded more attention, which I was happy to give.

With Class I, I started with the letters, pronunciation, making words, sentences, numbers,

addition and subtraction. We studied the different concepts and activities in their General

Knowledge books, basically to open up their minds. I had to revise the alphabet and ba-

sics with Class II as they had forgotten everything they‟d studied in their previous classes.

After reviving all that, I made them write paragraphs on various topics, short stories, and

held discussions in English. In Mathematics, we did addition and subtraction, word prob-

lems, and then set about learning the tables and also touched upon multiplication and di-

vision.

I learned that teaching isn‟t as easy as it looks, and with that came the realisation of how

much effort our teachers put into educating us. I sometimes grew tired of explaining to

the students the same things over and over again, but eventually learned how to talk to

them on their level and got positive results. It was my first time formally teaching children

– or anyone for that matter - and I got to see things as a teachers and learned a lot from

this experience.

Back to Basics


A Mixed Bag

D uring the summer break

this year, I took part in our

school‟s community service

in which I had to teach dif-

ferent subjects to a class of third-graders for

two weeks. I must say that when I decided to

teach these children, I believed it would be

very tiresome but that couldn‟t be farther

from the truth.

The main problem I faced was making the

children listen to me, because they kept get-

ting distracted. At first I did find it difficult to

teach them, but after a few days it became

much easier. Some students were more intelli-

gent than others, naturally, and it was far

more fun to teach them. But I learned that

teaching was not an easy job and it required a

lot of patience, so I spent extra time and gave

particular attention to the students who need-

ed it.

After teaching these young minds for a few

days, I felt a sense of accomplishment. It felt

amazing to know that I had actually helped

them learn something. I really enjoyed this

experience.

Talal Ali

BMI Boys‟ Campus

Islamabad


My Reckoning

Husna Ahsan

BSS Sargodha

“Positive people do not put others

out,”

was the framed inscription hanging on the

wall of the SOS Herman Gmeiner High

School.

The SOS Village is an institute which is op-

erating in over 133 countries, with 13

branches in Pakistan. The SOS Village re-

stores the wounded dignity and spirit of

the ones who have been subjected to the

harsh realities of life. The atmosphere I

found inside the Village was very pleasant,

for I felt a certainty that the future of

those who lived here was secure. Dignity

was one of the qualities that stood out in

all of the children residing there – they ra-

diated nothing but vibes of positivity and

satisfaction. The children were grinning

from ear-to-and the youngsters were very

respectful.

The Co-Chairman of SOS Sargodha, Sir

Sadie Malik, met with the students and

made a humble request to donate gener-

ously to the Village.

It had been an extraordinary visit because

it gave a boost to my own self-esteem. I

left the organisation in a contemplative

mood; the visit had miraculously altered

my perception and instilled in me the influ-

ential vibes of humanity.


A ccording to the Oxford Dictionary, the word „dignity‟ means „the state of being

worthy of esteem or respect.‟ So exactly how does one become dignified? It is

simply by becoming a conscious member of your community that you can truly

become dignified. When you appreciate the self-esteem of other people, you auto-

matically feel honoured. Celebrating Global Dignity Day provides us with the opportunity to in-

crease awareness among people regarding how essential it is to respect your fellow human beings

regardless of their caste, creed, race or religion. We were all

born equal, then why discriminate between the children of

Adam?

This day is basically a reminder to all of us to always choose

the same for others as we choose for ourselves, treat others

the way we wish to be treated and help others live a dignified

life. In order to do so, we have to develop tolerance, patience

and empathy towards each other. This is something that I learned from the time I volunteered at

Sindh Institute of Urology and Transplantation (SIUT). At SIUT the staff members do practise the

principle of treating patients with dignity. I saw the beggar from across the street being treated in

the manner people would treat a man who had arrived at the hospital in a very expensive car.

Some of the patients, with a meek smile on their faces, narrated their tales of struggles and inces-

sant hardships to me. This made me realise how strong humans are. They fight their own battles

with a courage so unique that it deserves to be respected and appreciated.

So on this Dignity Day, promise to respect others, to once in a while tell the people around you

that they are special in their own way and that you are there for them, as just knowing that you

have an ally helping you win the battle against all odds can make all the difference.

Do Unto Others…

Rimsha Zamir

North Nazimabad A Level Campus

Karachi


D ignity is the state or quality of being worthy of honour or respect. It is

achieved by helping humanity as a whole or by making society‟s service

the first priority for the benefit of the whole community.

The best example I can remember would be the time I was sitting in a bus

where an elderly man got in but had no place to sit. Seeing this, I got up and offered him my

seat and he smiled at me and sat there. That was the moment I felt dignified, and my act at

that very moment signified dignity.

I recently worked for an NGO called Serve Our Civil Hospital (SOCH), which helps main-

tain cleanliness and efficiency at the Civil Hospital. The main challenge faced by SOCH was

the amount of filth and dirt around the hospital. I, along with my fellow volunteers, helped

clean up the hospital and also spread awareness among children there, who had very little

knowledge about how to properly wash their hands.

The other challenge faced by this NGO was a lack of facilities provided to the patients at

Civil Hospital, which was primarily because of lack of funds. This was resolved by collecting

donations from people and using that money for the welfare of the patients and the hospital

as a whole.

What one must do to increase another person‟s dignity is to respect them, not only as a per-

son but also for the work they do, and not make anyone feel like they are beneath anyone

else. One must make everyone feel equal.

The First and Topmost

Priority

Umer Iqbal


Karachi



Aroosha Abdul Ghafoor

Gulshan Cambridge

Karachi

L ast year, my school sponsored three of its students to do an internship at the cancer ward at

National Institute of Child Health (NICH). I was selected along with two other batch ma-

tes for this and we were really looking forward to it. To be honest, at first it was a hectic

job to wake up early in winter holidays and reach the hospital at 9am, but after spending a

day at the hospital, I felt compassion for these little angels that came every day to get treated. As a result,

my enthusiasm increased and I started to put in my 100 per cent effort. I truly devoted myself to commu-

nity service and I found a sort of inner tranquility when I did so.

I was paired with another student from our school; each pair was assigned different wards. On my first

day, I was told to educate the parents about the type of care and diet they should provide to cancer pa-

tients. After a week, I was assigned to another ward, where children were admitted before their treatment.

This ward was always full of scared kids as the doctors gave medicines and injections to them. Here, we

had to comfort the children by talking to them or playing with them. Once a psychologist visited the hos-

pital for his own case study and he mingled with the children in the ward to comfort them. One day, he

brought his guitar and started playing the guitar, sitting in a circle with the patients. He made the little

kids sing with him and the whole hospital came to life. It was a spectacular moment when not even a sin-

gle kid in the ward was crying.

In the 2nd week, I was transferred to the 3rd ward where patients were brought after their treatment.

Here, too, the doctors placed and removed cannulas and gave them injections. The doctors in these

wards were really cooperative and taught us interns various things like recording patients names, classify-

ing medicines, removing cannulas etc. This was my last week at the hospital and I was content with my-

self for doing my part in helping these children. The experience was thrilling, and it was something worth

doing. I hope to do more internships with different organisations, and I think this is something we all

must do.

Doing Our Duty


I n June last year, the opportunity

life threw at me was of visiting

and working as an intern at the

National Child Aid Association

for Cancer. Seeing those little innocent

souls fighting the horrible disease and all

the scary side-effects of the treatment –

excessive bleeding, hair fall and pain of

chemotherapy – made me realise how

determined they were to get cured.

The nurses trained us and showed us

how to operate a nebuliser, prepare in-

jections and check blood pressure. We

took great pleasure in helping the sick

children. A day such as the Global Dig-

nity day gives us the message of promot-

ing such activities and organising them

on a bigger level.

C ommunity Service is an

important aspect of life

and we should all play a

part in carrying it out. For

such service, I organised a movie event

for charity. The money earned from sell-

ing tickets was used to buy different kind

of books and stationary items for chil-

dren. I hope my donation helped these

underprivileged kids study in a communi-

ty school funded by such donations.

Kanza Tariq

Gulshan A Level

Karachi

Hamza Kalim

Gulshan A Level

Karachi

An Experience of a Lifetime


W e wanted this summer to be a bit different, a little more worthwhile, something posi-

tive to spend our energies on. So, my friends and I decided to do an internship at the Chil-

dren‟s Cancer Hospital. It is a facility for cancer patients who cannot afford good treatment.

All we had to do as volunteers was to spend a few hours with these children. But those few

hours were the most satisfying hours that we spent our entire summer. We planned a new ac-

tivity everyday for the children; we tried new games, jokes and stories - anything that would

make the kids and their parents happy.

It was a wonderful learning experience that taught us how Allah has blessed us more than

many people. Seeing someone smile because of you feels wonderful, especially if the person is

suffering. This experienced revived the feeling of humanity and we all developed a very spe-

cial bond with our little friends.

Forging Ties

P akistan Youth Forum is an independent non-governmental community, which provides

the children of slum areas with free education and other opportunities and curricular activi-

ties, to ensure that they do not remain deprived of knowledge. I joined their system to play

my part and contribute whatever I can to my country, humanity, and for this fast developing

world.

Tabish Azam

Gulshan A Level

Karachi

Fatima Sabir Mir

Gulshan A Level Campus

Karachi



Syeda Hajra Ali


Karachi

“Remember this-that there is

a proper dignity and propor-

tion to be observed in the per-

formance of every act of life.”

Marcus Aurelius Antoninus

(121 AD - 180 AD)

Respect for All

I n literal terms, dignity means the state or quality of being worthy of honour or respect, but to me

dignity means being respected for who you are and what you believe in. When somebody taunts us

or disrespects us, it doesn‟t feel good. Therefore treating other people with dignity means we are

treating them the way we would like to be treated ourselves.

Human dignity is one of the central themes in Islamic teachings. Islam has given high value to human life

and health. It has also put significant emphasis on caring for the sick and disabled and identified it as the

duty of every Muslim . Good health is termed a divine gift.

I, and many of my friends, had the opportunity to volunteer at SIUT and Civil Hospital. As volunteers, we

were supposed to improve the patients‟ quality of life and help make their hospital experience a positive

one.

We did hand washing activity in pediatrics, sang songs to the children and made them feel happy. We

spent our time in the OPD Facilitation Booth, where we guided the people about where they were sup-

posed to go for their respective problems.


Upholding Honour Rutaba Arif


Karachi

I ndividuals upholding the universal rights of people in the community so that they lead a dignified life,

mark the true essence of dignity for me. Community service holds grave importance as it gives us a

chance to elevate the respect of people who are part of society, with our services at their disposal.

I had an amazing time fulfilling the notion of dignity I had held for so long. Working 30 hours for

SIUT, I played my part in creating a dignified community – A community that is working in the interest of

the people, and provides free medication to

renal patients.

From cleaning corridors to singing songs to

the kids at the Pediatrics Ward, from listen-

ing to the problems of the patients in the

waiting area, many of whom had flocked in

from interior Sindh, to dusting the files in

the Record Room, we had a thorough ex-

perience serving the hospital. The time

spent there provided me with the perfect

opportunity to interact with children – ap-

preciating their colouring skills, joining

them in laughter, listening to their dreams and giving them hope that they were no different than other kids

out there were the best parts.

At the waiting area, different voices in different languages contributed to the din, waiting to be heard. The

volunteers sat there giving them hope as they opened up about a barrage of concerns, such as waiting in lines

indefinitely.

Every person in society deserves due respect and is worthy of being heard. It‟s our job to act like a dignified

nation and uphold their dignity wherever possible. Elucidating the hindrances in the way of the dignity of

women in particular is a major challenge, and bringing to light such issues that are eating away at the founda-

tions of our society is paramount. I feel that standing up against domestic violence, nepotism, bullying, and

the harassment of women is essential for promoting the concept of dignity.


Laila Waqar

FC Campus,

Peshawar

E very human regardless of his

fortunate or unfortunate cir-

cumstance desires and strives

to live a better life. Then why

should not the same opportunities be given

to underprivileged people, regardless of their

gender, caste, creed, religion, physical disabil-

ity or nationality?

In the summer of 2013, I participated in the

Grameen internship in Dhaka, Bangladesh.

During the internship, I was the member of a

multicultural team; it was an eye-opening ex-

perience working with so many different peo-

ple from diverse backgrounds. It was hum-

bling to share the same rooms and meals, and

work as a team on the same tasks on any giv-

en day.

However, what truly served as a learning ex-

perience was our visit to the local villages

where most of Dr Yunus‟s work is focused. It

was inspiring to see and, for a short while, be

a part of the drive to bring equality and bet-

ter opportunities to people who are deprived,

are living under the poverty line, and are ne-

glected. The internship taught me a great

deal, but most importantly, it taught me to

respect all, to seek and welcome the company

of people who are different from me, and to

reach out to every human being no matter

what their race, religion, or creed.


I n the summer of 2013, I participated in an internship with the Municipal Services

Programme (under the government of KPK). Through the internship, I helped a

wide variety of underprivileged people of differ-

ent genders, ages, castes, creeds and religions.

Everyone was given the same attention, the same dignified

treatment regardless of their social disadvantage or mi-

nority status. I visited their homes, schools and hospitals

with an official team and talked to them about cleanliness

and hygiene. I took the time to carefully and respectfully

explain to each of them, as our equals, the manners in

which they can keep themselves and their surroundings

sanitised and hence save themselves from sicknesses and

diseases. I also helped in getting them the appropriate vaccination and other essential medi-

cines. After all, prevention is better than a cure.

It was perhaps a small step, but a humbling act of humanity nonetheless that has forever in-

stilled in me a sense of respect for all humankind, and a resolve to help everyone regardless

of their appearance, beliefs, or background.

Malaika Riaz

FC Campus

Peshawar

The Quest for Equality


“All human beings are born with a dignity which neither our social status nor our socie-ty’s stigmas can alienate”.

This thought has been resonating in my mind

since I did my community service at a Govern-

ment Primary School in the dilapidated part of

Lahore. I was supposed to counsel the stu-

dents, of Class V or younger, about the possi-

bilities of new careers and occupations. It was

amazing to see their interest in trying out new

careers, no matter what backgrounds they came

from. Their urge to move forward in life at

such a young age and their primal instinct to

become the best took me by surprise. There,

they were not the miserable children from a

very poor house, they were competitors willing

to give their best in the small activities we had

planned for them. This made me believe in

what had been said by Michael J. Fox: “One's

dignity may be assaulted, vandalised and cruelly

mocked, but it can never be taken away unless

it is surrendered.”

Striving for More

Anusheh Bakht Aziz

A Level Johar Town Campus, Lahore

US consulate Ambassador for the year 2013

http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/77162.Michael_J_Fox


T o do work with one‟s own hands is a very useful habit. There is nothing

shameful or undignified in it. We find that in this world we can have noth-

ing without work. We have various scientific inventions because of work.

If people had not worked, and worked hard, we would never have built

railways, motors, ships, aeroplanes, radios, televisions, etc. If the farmers do not plough

the soil, there will be no crops. If the masons, carpenters and weavers do not labour,

there will be no houses or shelter and no clothes to cover our bodies.

Thus, I find no shame or loss of dignity in working for the community, which I learnt

how to during my internships at SIUT and Civil Hospital. It is due to these unique expe-

riences that I saw the misery and hardships of life up close, and I learnt the true purpose

of life: to serve humanity.

These internships instilled in me an even stronger affection for humanity. Celebrating

„Global Dignity Day‟ is a way of spreading this affection of humanity among others

around us and urging other people to respect humanity around them, while respecting

their own self as well. In my opinion, this is a good notion and should be much appreci-

ated and propagated in order for us to become better individuals and a better nation as a

whole.

Working for the Community

Nabeel Aamir


Karachi


Saaniya Aamir Javeria Khan

North Nazimabad Cambridge Branch

Karachi

W hoever says that organising an event is an easy job must never have

organised an event themselves. Sure its fun, but with fun comes

pressure, anxiety, tension and the recurring thought about all that

could possibly go wrong.

On 5th August, we organised our very first event at the Sirat ul Jannah orphanage.

Taking care of everything starting from the 100 iftaar boxes to preparing toiletry bags

for the kids all by yourself is a tough job, to say the least, specially when the roads are

flooded due to the wild monsoon rains.

Our basic aim was to spend a fun-filled day with orphans. The main highlights of the

event were the grand iftaari and the giving away of the toiletry bags which included

tooth pastes, tooth brushes, soaps, shampoos and hair brushes. The iftaari boxes for

which the volunteers – Ramish Arshad , Haider Ali Khan, Mohammad Hasan, Zain

Shiraz, Mahin Asim, and Zainab Anwar – generously contributed, consisted of the

children's favourite food items. Our team made sure to make the kids as comfortable

as possible and what better way to do that then playing their all time favourite games

with them.

The success of this event gave us a boost of confidence that we direly needed and we

are definitely looking forward to organising more events for these delicate little hearts.

Shared Happiness is Doubled Happiness



K eeping in mind the upcoming Global Dignity Day, the students of

Grades X and XI Cambridge visited the SOS Children‟s Village Sargodha

on October 1. The students interviewed the Director and learnt about

the importance of such organisations in any society.

The acronym „SOS‟ is generally associated with the term „Save Our Souls‟, but it also refers

to the last siren that signals the sinking of a naval ship. SOS, today, with its roots in more

than 133 nations promises to provide abandoned, orphaned and destitute children with a

new and permanent home.

The students learnt that the SOS Chil-

dren‟s Village acts as a guardian for these

children until they are able to look after

themselves. They are provided all the

basic necessities of life. Every homeless

child is given a mother, not just an educa-

tor so that the abandoned child learns

what love and security means. Each fami-

ly consists of 10 orphans who are granted protection within the walls of SOS home, just

like a normal house with a typical family.

Yet, the best service provided by SOS is education. They prepare their students to get ad-

A Place Worth Visiting


mission to government colleges. Zohar Shah was brought to SOS at the age of seven

and is currently doing his under graduation from National School of Business Man-

agement.

The work they do is un-

doubtedly incredible

and beneficial to the

highest degree, but the

organisation greatly de-

pends upon the charity

they get from the local

citizens. Our charity is

usually the only thing

they need for their sur-

vival. From the food they get to the salaries of their staff, from household accessories

to books, our generosity alone can keep it running.

“Every big thing in the world only comes true, when somebody does more than he has to do.’’ - Her-

mann Gmeiner (Founder of SOS Village)

Sajjal Najeeb

BSS Sargodha



Adding Value to Life

“Everyone can be great, because everyone can serve.”

Martin Luther King, Jr.

E ach year, SIUT runs a student volunteer programme, aiming to

incorporate social responsibility along with education among the

Pakistani youth. From 24th to 30th June, I, along with my school

fellows, rendered voluntary services to enhance the care provided

to SIUT patients and make the most of my vacations.

The 30 hour programme included hospital tours, workshops and lectures deliv-

ered by medical professionals. We also watched documentaries on current

health issues, followed by lively discussions which offered us a chance to boost

confidence level, present our viewpoints and enrich the experience. Further-

more, the staff taught us various first aid techniques and most importantly, we

met the inspiring personalities like Dr Adeeb Rizvi and Abdul Sattar Edhi.

We were entrusted with different duties in various sections of the hospital like

pharmacy, paediatrics and patient care. We even aided cleaning the premises

willingly and enthusiastically. From singing and playing with the kids to lend-

ing an ear to the distressed relatives and comforting them, we tried to help them

in all the ways we could. Indeed, it was an enlightening experience.

Maleeha Abbas and Nazbakht Shahwani

North Nazimabad Cambridge, Karachi



Saaniya Aamir

North Nazimabad Cambridge

Karachi

A Day with Little Angels

O n 25th June 2013, The Youth Leadership Club invited volunteers to

spend a day filled with excitement and happiness with the little an-

gels at the Children‟s Cancer Hospital. The aim of the event was to

encourage them not to lose hope and fight against the disease with

determination; to provide them a reason to smile and give them a sense of what child-

hood truly is.

I, along with other volunteers, tried my best to offer these children a day free of re-

strictions and full of joy. First, we pooled in an amount to buy the required material

for the trip. We surprised the children by presenting gifts, decorating the wards with

balloons, arranging a play area and conducting fun-filled activities, especially a drawing

competition. Each and every child was encouraged to participate and those who could

not walk, were provided with colouring books so they could be a part of the activity

and wouldn‟t feel left out. The sparkle of excitement in the eyes of the children soared

our spirits.

The event proved to a great success as our mission to bring some happiness in the

lives of little angels was accomplished. Most importantly, not only the children and the

volunteers, but the parents of the cancer patients also seemed to be having a good

time as they saw the smiling and excited faces of their wards.


Spreading the Word

O ver the summer, I had the oppor-

tunity to work with Seeds of Ed-

ucation, Policy & Legal Aware-

ness Association (SEPLAA), which advo-

cates for the rights of women and children

in Pakistan.

It is not just a traditional charity-based or-

ganisation; rather it works towards making

legislative changes to improve the lives of

women and children.

As a member of the Youth Development

Summer Internship Programme 2013, I was

responsible for raising awareness amongst

the Pakistani youth about women and child

empowerment programmes initiated by

SEPLAA. My team members and I reached

this objective by regularly updating the Face-

book page and writing articles and essays on

the relevant themes provided to us.

I also took part in the “People of Sub-

stance” section in the SEPLAA publications,

where the team regularly interviewed Paki-

stan‟s many unsung heroes. As part of the

SEPLAA Youth Development Programme,

I also helped to mentor younger students (8-

12 years) in promoting the mission of

SEPLAA and being responsible citizens for

the future as well. It was hectic, but also a

very enriching experience at the same time.

I felt great pride in being part of a group

promoting the rights of women and chil-

dren, who are clearly underrepresented in

Pakistan. I would encourage all students to

volunteer for such non-profit internships

and try and give back to the society and our

country.

Ahsan Khokar

Faisalabad Campus


Making a Difference

T he students of Beaconhouse School System Sargodha got the chance to work at the SOS Village for an internship during the summer break. This is where we learned the true spirit of equality, love, friendship and respect. It was one of the most wonderful experiences of our life where we saw the world from a different perspective. SOS Village Sargodha is one of the 13 children homes actively working in Pakistan. Run by Retd Col Muhammad and the visiting coordinator Miss Kishwar, the village is an excellent institution with high quality accommodation, food, educa-tion and a homely feeling for the less for-tunate.

Today SOS Village Sargodha hosts above 120 orphans, some who have no one alive to take care of them while others were abandoned at birth. Just take a minute and think; where would they today if such a benevolent organisation did not exist? In-stead of being dignified members of soci-ety, they would be begging on the streets, and possibly even become drug addicts or criminals! It is the hard work and undying effort of SOS Village‟s administration that these orphans have excelled in the world

and have made a name for themselves, while making their country proud!

An O Level teacher in a private school in Sargodha was a former resident at SOS Village. Don‟t examples like these prove what a wonderful role this prestigious in-

stitution is playing in improving society? Being there, having those kids around laughing smiling and enjoying life, actually experiencing everything made me realise this organisation‟s noble cause. I salute the administration of SOS Sargodha for their hard work in making the youth productive and giving hope to the hopeless.

I give my thanks to all the people who are working around the world to help the less fortunate. It is a great charitable cause, and I would love to be a part of this initiative.

Noor Zenab

BSS Sargodha

“We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we

give.”


Honouring Nurses

I had the opportunity to visit the day care centre within our school premises. It proved to be an eye-opening experience as it allowed me to witness how hardwork-ing people define dignity themselves. The lady in-charge of the day care, despite having to work in a small enclosed place, served with utter determination and was

happy with her job. She considered her place to be more dignified than any other.

Being on a lower professional scale did not make any significant difference to her status as she believes that she for one can fulfil her own full destiny. Caring for children and attending to their needs is a job she says she was meant to do. She sees her surroundings with such love, humility and care that one can only say that the wisest of all mankind are those who have been gift-ed with the ability to withhold the dignity bestowed up-on them.

Surely God made us all equal and surely we are all children of Adam and Eve; we can real-ise this not only by reading articles but by experiencing the force of self-righteousness and self-respect by treating everyone as one.

Muneeza Shahid

Liberty Campus Lahore

Laiba Shams BSS Sargodha

W orking at Shaukat Khanum Memo-rial Cancer Hospital as a volunteer helped me get a closer look at life. It was a touch-ing experience; spending time with the young and brave patients was an eye open-er. I realised how privileged I was and it also made me reflect deeply on the bitter-ness, difficulties and tragedies of their lives. Yet, I saw hope in the eyes of those who were fighting this battle for survival. This experience brought me very close to understanding life. I understood the true meaning of life and learned to empathise and sympathise with the families of the patients fighting cancer. I learnt a lot from my volunteer experience and every mo-

ment spent there was special and a learn-ing opportunity for me.


Fighting for Life

The SOS village for children is a non-

governmental organisation which provides shel-

ter to homeless and helpless children. Every

year this NGO gives a chance to students to

volunteer as teachers for the children living

there.

This year, I was blessed with the opportunity to

be an intern at this organisation. The internship lasted for one month and was no doubt a

once in a lifetime experience for me. I was given the responsibility of teaching a girl of

Grade VIII. In the span of one month, I helped her complete her school homework tasks

and taught her both Urdu and English. It was not only a wonderful experience, but also

an opportunity to do something worthy. I was not only pleased to have helped her but I

also realised how privileged I was to be a part of something so huge and noble. It was on-

ly possible because I am a proud student of Beaconhouse, where so many facilities are

available for us students to do something practical in life.

After this teaching experience, I realised that teaching is just not only an honourable pro-

fession but it is also very amusing, hectic and requires a lot of responsibility. My student,

Mehak is a very jolly and intelligent girl. After school, I would often go with her to her

house. Interning at the SOS allowed me to learn a great deal about the problems and suf-

ferings of these orphans.

In a nutshell, this internship has made me a better human being.

Shonar Mehboob

Liberty Campus

Lahore


I n the winter break of 2012, my

friends and I did volunteer work at

the Child Aid Association through

our school. It was a wonderful and

eye-opening experience.

We saw the sufferings of the young ones

battling cancer, when they should have been

running around instead of being confined

inside hospital walls. The constant stress felt

by their families which was visible on their

faces.

We had to be there at 9am and got done by

2pm. It was tiring, yet fun. We did our turns

in the OPD, the regular ward and the ICU.

The most heart-breaking thing for us was

when a child passed away in front of us and

his mother. On another day, we played a gui-

tar and sang songs with the children. It was

delightful so see the eyes of these children

light up along with their faces. It was a dif-

ferent experience because we got to see the

suffering of the underprivileged. It was nice

interacting with them and getting to know

about their lifestyle. The staff at this place

was also very cooperative. We got to meet

people from other campuses and made

friends with them.

If I had to do it over again with my friends

and the same people, I would.

Sarah Zia

Gulshan Cambridge

Child Aid Association

Lending a Helping

Hand


L ast summer, I signed up for an internship at Fatima Memorial Hospital for

two weeks. It was an excellent experience with my friends at FMH. As an in-

tern, I gained lot of knowledge and insight into the psyche of patients and

saw how important it was to have good understanding between patients and

doctors. Everyday there was a new experience as we visited various departments. We also

went to FMH School for the unprivileged children. It was a new experience as we taught

the students there. A profound insight into the problems faced by such children led me to

think about helping them out on a long-term basis. It was a totally different world and I re-

alised the blessings the Almighty has showered upon us.

Fatima Waseem Liberty Campus, Lahore


Global Dignity Day 2013 Celebrations

Central Region




Southern Region




Northern Region




International



Designed and developed by the Academics Department and Corporate

Communications, Beaconhouse Group Head Office. All material included in

the Dignity Magazine Vol I reflects actual events and comprises first-person

accounts of students‟ experiences related to Dignity.

Edited by: Corporate Communications - Editing Section

Compiled by: Academics Department - Learning Centre

Copyright © 2013 - Beaconhouse. All rights reserved.

Documents

Dignity, Vol I