Desperate flood victim wants to place his children for adoption

Hanif Soomro lost everything in the disaster and can no longer provide for them.

BADIN/KARACHI:

The monsoon rains of 2011 took several lives, destroyed houses and effaced the livelihoods of millions of people in Sindh. But the devastation does not end here – the disaster seems to be tearing families asunder as well. A 41-year-old flood victim, Hanif Soomro, wants to give up two of his children for adoption as he feels that he can no longer provide for them.

His wife died of tuberculosis about five years ago. He is also immensely stressed out about the fact that his two eldest daughters are still single. “I really want them to be happy and settle down, but nobody is helping me. I cannot fulfill their wishes on my own,” he said. Hanif has four daughters and one son. He wants to give up his seven-year-old daughter, Abida, and six-year-old son, Shuban Ali, for adoption. “It will be very difficult for me to part with the two children, but I can’t see any other way out of this. I don’t want to see them die of hunger and cold. Nobody from my village knows that I am going to do this. Not even the two children I intend giving away are aware of this fact,” he told The Express Tribune. “I have been very depressed for the last couple of years and every passing day augments my difficulties. I constantly worry about my children’s future. What if I die suddenly because of the hardships we are in? Who will look after them then?”

His relative, Dr Suleman Soomro, who lives in the same village, said that the villagers used to help Hanif before the floods, especially during the time his wife fell ill. “The situation has changed now. All of those people are now seeking help from the government. How can a person lend a helping when he himself has lost everything in the disaster? There are several people like Hanif who are in dire need of help.”Another villager said that Hanif was an ebullient character but hunger and stress had changed this. “He was a very lively person but poverty wiped the smile that was perpetually on his face.”

The president of the Badin Development and Research Organisation, Muhammad Khan Samoon, strongly opposed Hanif’s intention of giving his children up for adoption. “It is the first case of its kind in the area. Although I do not like what he intends to do, I appeal to people to help him out. However, this should be done in a clandestine manner so that other people don’t start using the same tactic.” He added that around 70% of the residents of Badin rely on agriculture. “All of the crops were damaged when torrential rains hit the district last August,” Samoon claimed.

He said that the government and welfare organisations helped the people out for a few months by giving them relief goods. However, no substantial steps have been taken to create stable livelihood for the people. Samoon said that this has made the people dependent on aid and that the situation will be more dismal in the future.

Ameer Mandhro, a social activist, said that at least Hanif was not going to commit suicide. “He came to me a few months ago and said that he was going to kill himself. People lost their mental composure after the disaster. Hanif is only thinking about whether his children will ever have a bright future after this disaster. The present government chants the slogan ‘roti, kapra aur makan’, but these people don’t have any of these things. The rulers are responsible for Hanif’s present condition.”

He said that there are several wealthy people in Pakistan who can support Hanif but they don’t know how to approach him. He said that anybody who can help Hanif out should step forward and do so.

With additional reporting by Razak Khatti

Published in The Express Tribune, January 2^nd,  2012.