Sweet home no more: Orphaned by nature, displaced by the government

Citizens protest move to transfer children from Larkana facility to Karachi.

SUKKUR:

Larkana's residents are uneasy. There are rumours that the Pakistan Sweet Home — a facility that provides accommodation and schooling to orphans — is being shifted to Karachi. The residents have vowed to protest this move of the government, whom they accuse of depriving the orphaned children of their home.

The facility was the brainchild of Benazir Bhutto, who, in the wake of the October 18, 2007, bomb attack on her convoy, came up with the idea to provide a shelter for orphans where they would not only get free accommodation and meals but quality healthcare and education too.

Five such facilities were established in Sindh — one each in Karachi, Mirpurkhas, Shaheed Benazirabad, Larkana and Sukkur.

The facility in Larkana houses over 150 children, mostly hailing from Larkana and Kamber-Shahdadkot districts. Due to its proximity to both the districts, it was easy for the guardians to visit the children each week.

Lately, however, there were rumours that the facility was being shifted to Karachi. The management had already shifted 35 children and arrangements were being made to transfer the remaining, along with the furniture and fixtures.

The move did not bide well with the citizens and other social welfare bodies of the city, who gathered under the aegis of the Larkana Shehree Ittehad to protest the move. The protesters, led by Larkana Shehree Ittehad president Niaz Abro, held a demonstration against the Baitul Maal, which they accused of depriving the orphans of a home in the city.

Speaking on the occasion, Abro lashed out against the Pakistan Muslim League —Nawaz government, claiming that instead of providing more facilities for those in need, the incumbent government was stealing away the facility set up by the Pakistan Peoples Party government.

A Baitul Maal official, who did not wish to be named, told The Express Tribune that a building complex had been donated by the Saudi government in Karachi and the government wanted to utilise the building to house the orphaned children from Larkana and Shaheed Benazirabad.

The officer said that the facility was Bhutto's gift to those orphans who had lost their parents in natural calamities, terrorist activities or tribal feuds. "This facility is a blessing for orphans, where they not only get a respectable accommodation, but also free food, good quality education and healthcare," he added.

Sweet Home, Larkana, incharge Humair Dahar confirmed reports that the facility was being shifted to Karachi. He insisted, however, that the facility was not being shut down as the children could avail it in Karachi. "The facility is not being closed. It is simply being shifted to Karachi," he said.

Baitul Maal district officer Ali Akbar Chandio reasoned that the children were being moved to Karachi so that they would have better educational opportunities at the cadet college. "This does not, however, mean that we are closing down the facility."



The managing director of the Pakistan Baitul Maal, however, rebuffed any reports of the closure of the facility in Larkana.

"We are only shifting those children to Karachi who are in their teenage years and can avail better educational and health facilities in the megacity," he explained. "The Larkana Sweet Home will remain open and more children will be enrolled to fill the vacant seats."

Published in The Express Tribune, May 11^th, 2015.