All these green thumbs needed was a helping hand

The Green Fingers Nursery set up by Naima Khan helps people with special needs.


Samia Saleem August 17, 2010

KARACHI: As a mother of four, Shahana Raees’s struggles always tended to surpass those of the regular moms. Three of her children were diagnosed with mental challenges when they were born, and the fourth had special needs physically.

Which is why when 14-year-old Hamza and 16-year-old Shahzeb brought back home their first pay check, Shahana could not believe that her children had actually found work.

“While they received monetary aid from different NGOs, this was the first time they earned their own money,” said Shahana, who boys started working at the Green Fingers Nursery. According to Shahana, the nursery has not only helped them learn a trade, but has also brought about a positive change in their personalities as they have become “less itchy and more controllable”.

The Green Fingers Nursery was set up by Naima Khan in February 2008. She was inspired to help people with special needs such as Amir - a boy who lost his eyesight at the age of 13 after which both of his kidneys also failed - when she heard his interview on the radio.

Amir had been asking for help, something that Khan lost no time in providing. She called up the radio station and asked for more details.

“All my efforts were initially focused towards helping him get treatment. Instead, he asked me to get him a job,” she said.

After numerous unsuccessful attempts to find Amir a job through her contacts, Khan decided to ask him to make coco-pole plants for her own house. This, for both Khan and Amir, was the beginning of an endeavour from which there was no turning back.

With Amir as her general secretary, Khan established and expanded her nursery. Currently spread over 2,000 square yards in Clifton Block 5, the nursery is run by 19 special people between the ages of 15 and 35 years, who have either physical or mental special needs.

“This place acts as a healing ground for those who work here. They not only benefit by working with the rich soil but also feel important as they have become contributing members of society,” said Khan, who used to teach at the Karachi Vocational and Training Centre but now trains people at the nursery so that they can improve their social and psychological performance.

It is a slow process, she said, adding that it takes well over two months before special people can start working actively.

“A lot of them used to fall and break plants, while some were really violent and would throw stones at each other.” But all of this went away with time. “They just need to feel worthy. When I started interacting with them, I realised that they ached to work, that nothing was tiresome for them but that they were refused work wherever they went.”

“Jaen ghar pey ja kar araam karein, Allah Allah karein,” was all Fazal Naeem was told whenever he went asking for a job.

A father of two, Naeem, who is partially blind, also has a wife who is visually impaired. Therefore, it became very hard for him to support his family when he was sacked from his previous job after getting into an accident with another visually impaired person.

“I tried to get a job as a packaging man at a soap factory. When nothing worked out, I started selling perfume in buses,” said Naeem, who added that it was a dangerous job, which is why he is more than happy working at the nursery for Rs4,500 per month.

Even when Irfan Arshad, who has movement disorders, was offered a job, he was paid very little, barely Rs1,500 a month. Now his disorders have lessened and with a salary of Rs7,000 a month, Arshad is proud to be an earning member of his family. Imran, who is both visually and mentally challenged, just joined the nursery and has been put to the task of filling pots with sand and soil.

“I will buy some things for myself as well as some medicine,” said Imran.

Meanwhile Talib, who is also mentally challeneged, has shown great improvement in his behaviour, his sister claimed. He had been studying in the same class for 14 years but is now earning enough to support his family of five.

For Khan, the success of her nursery had motivated her to plan better things for her assemblage. She is currently trying to arrange for transportation for the workers through her NGO, the Hamnasheen Welfare Association, so that more people can be accommodated at the nursery.

Her plans include trying to persuade girls to join and she also wants to start classes for special children where their skills can be developed.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 18th, 2010.

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