At this village, the ties of humanity are stronger than those formed by blood

The SOS village in Jamshoro welcomes more abandoned and orphaned children.

HYDERABAD: Blood ties with a child aren’t necessary for maternal instincts to kick in - at least not at the SOS Children’s Village in Jamshoro.

Here the orphaned and abandoned children aren’t being looked after by their ‘biological’ parents, but that hasn’t stopped them from receiving the same kind of love and affection they would if they were to be with their mothers and fathers.

At the village, they have been reunited with a new family in the form of their foster siblings and mother. The stay at the SOS village also ensures quality education and a healthy lifestyle and environment. The SOS, an international organisation for children’s welfare with presence in 133 countries, opened its 12th branch in Pakistan in April 2012, in Jamshoro. Since then 22 children have been enrolled of which two have already returned to their relatives.

A class at the SOS Village in full swing. PHOTO: EXPRESS

Sabir Bugti and Zahid Bugti, who hail from Dera Bugti in Balochistan, were among the first to enroll over ten months ago. The brothers lost their father in a tribal clash in their hometown while their mother had died at childbirth. “When I lost my father, it was upsetting, tragic and horrible. We spent some time living with our relatives. But here [at the SOS village] we feel more comfortable,” said Sabir, who was brought to the SOS village by his uncle. He stood first in the class I exams he sat last month at Syed Panah Shah Model School, which is located adjacent to the village. His brother Zahid secured second position.

Days of their lives

The two brothers are living in a residential unit with a family of ten siblings nurtured by a foster mother they call ‘mama’. The Jamshoro branch of SOS has 15 such units and each can house up to 10 children. The children are also slowly forming bonds with their foster brothers. “We’re together from the time we wake up till the point where we drift off to sleep at night,” says Sajjad, who is the eldest among the children at the SOS village. After sitting an exam recently, he has been promoted to class III.



According to Sajjad, the day at the SOS village begins with a prayer during morning assembly after which the children leave for school where they spend over five hours. In the afternoon, the children attend tuition followed by sessions in which they learn and recite the Holy Quran. In the evening, the children play a variety of sports. “Most of the time we play football,” says Ali Hasnain, a class I student who aspires to be a doctor.

Meet the mothers

Mairaj, the children’s foster mother says, “We live like a traditional nuclear family, but without a father. The children follow the same schedule they would if they were living with their biological parents.” She said that each child who comes to the SOS village has his own quirks. The children are slowly groomed into well-behaved youngsters. “Some children who come in have bad habits. They fight, steal, lie and throw tantrums. But steadily, we inculcate in them the most sublime of the moral values.”

Children stand outside one of the classrooms at the village. PHOTO: EXPRESS

According to Benazir Rustamani, who is in charge of the Jamshoro branch, the women at the SOS village are trained to become their mothers in the real sense of the term. “They develop emotional relations with the children and teach them to share. The women are also taught how to express their emotions to children properly,” said Rustamani. “They know they don’t have to play favourites or to compare siblings with each other.”

The Jamshoro branch has four trained ‘mothers’ for 20 children and two teachers who conduct evening classes. However, the SOS usually has one mother for 10 children who also heads the house.

SOS village in Jamshoro needs your help

The SOS village in Jamshoro needs volunteers who can teach children various subjects.

Although the centre is nestled between three prestigious universities, teachers rarely knock on its door, laments Benazir Rustamani, who heads it.

Low enrollment and lack of awareness is another issue. The village can accommodate up to 130 more children. Despite the quality upbringing SOS offers, Rustamani regrets not many guardians and relatives are bringing their children there. Since the start, the organisation received only 23 cases for enrollment out of which only one was denied because the applicant had crossed the age limit - SOS enrolls boys of up to eight years old and girls up to ten years old.

“A lack of awareness and stigmas attached to sending children, both orphans and abandoned, to orphanages are the main impediments,” says Rustamani. “If the people can get over these barriers, many innocent lives which get destroyed by poverty can be transformed into success stories.”

The SOS village also requires a lot of furniture - only two of the 15 residential units are occupied and furnished. The others are vacant because of low enrollment levels. Each house consists of two big rooms and two smaller ones along with a television lounge, a kitchen and dining room. Furniture for the library and an activity room for girls is also required while the building which will house an auditorium has yet to be constructed.

A village school, home for boys over 14 years of age and vocational training centre will also to be constructed in the second phase.

You can help the project by donating money to Habib Bank Account No. 00727900758303

Published in The Express Tribune, April 23^rd, 2013.