Poverty, not just death, drives boys to orphanage in Sukkur

If it were not for the only orphanage in Sukkur, poor families in the city would have nowhere to turn to.

SUKKUR: If it were not for Anjuman Shoukatul Islam, the only orphanage in Sukkur, poor families in the city would have nowhere to turn to. For 63 years, this institution has been home to not only orphaned boys but also those whose parents cannot afford their upbringing.

“After my father’s death, nine years ago, my mother forced me out of the house. I’ve been living here since then,” said 16-year-old Mumtaz Ali Brohi. Mumtaz, a resident of village Deha located 12 kilometres from Sukkur, is the eldest among three sisters and a brother.

“My father, Abdul Ghani Brohi, was a tractor driver and used to earn enough to provide for our family of seven people,” Mumtaz recalled, adding that their financial position changed when his father lost one of his legs in an accident, 12 years ago.

“We spent everything on his treatment but he died three years later,” he said. Soon after his father’s death, Mumtaz’s mother forced him out of the house and when none of his relatives took him in, he came to the orphanage.

“The management gives us three proper meals, clothing, medicines, education and training in a tailoring shop,” Mumtaz said. Currently, he is a student of class VIII at the Shoukatul Islam High School, which provides free education to boys in the orphanage. Outsiders have to pay a fee.

The orphanage, located at Jinnah Chowk, was established in 1949 by a social worker, Sadiq Chishti, who at that time, brought around 24 orphans from Lahore, said the present manager, Mukhtiar Ahmed.

In the beginning, a camp was established at Miani Road but, within six months, he bought land at the chowk, where a three-storey building now stands, Ahmed told The Express Tribune. The institute is run by a 14-member committee and its general body comprises 600 donors.

Since its establishment, this institute has served thousands of orphans and poor boys, who have received an education and vocational training that has helped them earn a livelihood for their families, Ahmed boasted. There are 30 boys living at the orphanage at the moment.

Ahmed, who has been serving it since 1968, is popular among the boys. “He looks after us like a father,” claimed 10-year-old Shahid Ahmed Mahar, a resident of Mehboob village. “My father died four years ago so my mother sent me here,” he added. Shahid has two elder sisters and a younger brother who are still living with this mother, but he was sent here due to extreme poverty.

Asghar Ali Brohi, 16, said there was no difference between the orphanage and his home in Mari village of Shikarpur district. His father is a rickshaw driver and could not pay for his education so he sent him here, he said.

Asghar is the eldest among seven sisters and a brother. “My sisters are receiving religious education at home but my parents could not afford my education so they sent me here,” he explained, adding that, “after passing class X this year and completing training at the tailoring shop, I will leave this place and find a job”.

The youngest, seven-year-old Saeed Ahmed Jagirani, has trouble adjusting even though his elder brother, Dilawar, has been living there for seven years. “This place is much bigger than my house but I miss my mother and sisters,” he said, adding quickly that he was well fed with “mutton, chicken curry and pulao”.

Saeed will celebrate Eid at the orphanage and will visit his parents and sisters after Eid. All the children get new clothes, shoes and Eidi. “At home we seldom get new clothes and Eidi,” said Saeed, explaining why he prefers Eid at the home.

Dhani Bux Brohi, from village Napar near Chak, is living in the orphanage along with his younger brother, Rasool Bux Brohi, while his elder brother, Allah Bux Brohi, has already left after completing Matric from its school.

“My father sells artificial ornaments in the village and cannot afford to send us to school,” he said. Dhani is a student of class X while Rasool is studying in class III. His parents chose to send them to the orphanage so they can get educated and receive training that will help them find a job.

The institute may be a saviour for poor families but it does have its own struggles. Mumtaz, a student of class VIII, felt that the school’s standards were low. “The teachers usually sit idle and don’t take much interest in teaching,” he said. “They keep us engaged for two or three periods and then they don’t even bother coming to the classroom.”

Published in The Express Tribune, September 10^th, 2010.