Syed Faraz Mujtaba

Welcome to my Human Interest Stories website!

I worked at Plan International-Pakistan (an iNGO) as Communications Manager from 2011 to 2012. During this period, I produced more than 80 human interest stories by visiting field sites in Badin, Thatta, Rajan Pur, Layyah, Muzzafar Garh, and Bari Imam.

Below, you can read 12 of my selected case studies. 

1. Maryam: Early marriage has ruined Praveen's life

Maryam is in New York with Plan to talk about rural life as a girl in Pakistan

February 2012: Maryam, 15, from Pakistan, is one of the 9 girl delegates from rural communities across the world that Plan is supporting at the UN's 56th Commission on the Status of Women (CSW).

Here's the story she shared at a side event in New York on early and forced marriage in her community.

"I know of a girl a called Praveen who is 12 years old. She lives in a nearby village.

Praveen’s parents arranged for her to marry a man who is 32 years old. The girl was sent to live with the man’s family as his wife, even though she did not know the meaning of the word ‘marriage’.

Praveen was too young, with a childish mind and thinking. She liked to play with toys in her husband’s house. These were the toys belonging to the grandchildren of her parents-in-law.

Praveen’s mother-in-law was not very good to her. She got angry when Praveen played and complained to Praveen’s father that she often eats the tomatoes she is meant to be cooking for the family.

Divorced and ruined aged 12 

After 3 months of marriage, Praveen’s husband decided to divorce. He was angry with her. She was too innocent and unable to adapt to her husband and his family. Even though she was 12 years old, Praveen’s parents blamed her for the divorce. In the community it is the girls’ fault if she divorces, not the man’s.

After the divorce, Praveen was sent back to live with her parents where she weeps and remains sad. At the age of 12, she does not know the meaning of marriage and divorce has ruined her life. Now her parents feel she is a burden and want to marry her away again as soon as possible.

I will work to protect girls

I think that early marriage stops the mental, physical and educational growth of the girls and they are not able to participate in the development and progress of their family life as well as country and community.

I will work in my community to help reduce the rate of girls who are affected by early and forced marriages. I will give them awareness, conduct meetings with them, share experience with them and discuss with them in simple language.

Parents, families and girls may think marriage sounds charming, because they can get new clothes, but they should keep in mind the hard realities of what early and forced marriage brings. The dream will be broken."

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2. Small business - A big help for family

Nadia now has high hopes for the future.

June 2012: Nadia has 8 children with her husband, Mansur, and together they live in a 1-room house in Islamabad. Until recently, none of the children went to school because the family couldn't afford to send them. But life has taken a turn for the better as the family now have a business to call their own.

Data collected by Plan found that Nadia and her family were living below the poverty line, so Plan selected them to take part in an income-enhancement project. Mansur went to business management training and he was able to pass on what he learnt to his wife. A small start-up grant was then provided to the family for them set up a small food shop.

“It was a turning point for our family. You can see the change in our children’s lives. My elder son joined a fast-track secondary education centre to complete his schooling. Soon he will take the education board examination to get his upper secondary certificate. He is also working as a sweeper in the evening,” said Nadia.

“My 2 daughters are starting their schooling at a primary, non-formal education centre and I hope that they will soon be able to join a formal school. My 2 younger sons attend an Early Childhood Care and Education centre and will be enrolled in formal school next year,” she added.

Learning the tricks of the trade

Mansur has learnt about the importance of consistency and planning. In the past, he moved from job to job, never giving himself time to really get settled into anything. Through his newfound business sense, Mansur has also come to understand the importance of education for his family.

“If wives and daughters are educated and skilled it means more earning hands. I encouraged and trained my wife to run the business together with me. I am also trying to provide vocational training to my elder daughter. Together we can change our situation, ” he said.

Looking forward

Nadia and Mansur now earn 3-4,000 rupees (US$30-40) a month.  Mansur keeps track of the money and keeps a record of the daily income, while members of the village committee keep an eye on how things are going, all with support from Plan and local partners.

With a steady income, Nadia and Mansur now plan to expand their shop with the help of a small loan from Plan partner Bari Imam House.  Not only that, but they are also helping their neighbours set up their own businesses.

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3. Lack of birth registrations keeps children out of school

Sania says she loves going to school and learning with her friends.

May 2012: Sania, 7, is a very shy girl who lives in the slums of Islambad in Pakistan. She loves books and learning and was keen to go to school after graduating from a preschool supported by Plan Pakistan’s early childhood care and development (ECCD) initiative.

As her former caregiver Rehana observed, “She loves studying and questioning. She is now 7 years old and it is time for her to go to primary school.”

But Sania faced a challenge, bigger even than overcoming the initial resistance of her father, who had thought education was wasted on a girl: Sania had no birth certificate. Without one, it’s difficult to enroll in any primary school.

Low birth registration

Sania was one of many Pakistani children who have been denied the right to be registered after birth, a right that leads to benefits like education and protects against child labour and child marriage.

In some districts of Pakistan, fewer than 1 in 10 births are registered – and it’s especially tough for girls. In Kyber Pakhtunkhwa province, for example, from January 2005 to February 2008, 5.7% of boys had their births registered compared to just 3.6% of girls. With statistics appearing to show fewer girls than actually exist, funding for girls’ education has been seriously shortchanged.

On the books

In 2000, Plan initiated a package of programmes targeting children, communities, schools, media, and local and national authorities to sort out Pakistan’s birth registration troubles.

With support from the local government and the National Database and Registration Authority, Plan piloted its efforts in 4 districts of Khyber Pakhunkwha before scaling up to cover the entire province, as well as 4 districts of Baluchistan province and 2 of Sindh. As a result, more than 1,600,000 children have had their births registered.

But some children still fall through the cracks. There are pockets, including the slum where Sania lives, where the campaign struggles to reach. “Most parents don’t bother registering their children, especially girls, at birth. Some parents cannot envision its advantages,” said Sania’s father.

All of Sania's uncertainty and heartache could have been avoided had she been registered at birth. But luckily, this story has a happy ending: Though not the ideal solution, an alternative document to register her was used and with a little help from Plan Sania eventually got a place in a primary school -- where she belongs.

“I like playing and studying with my new friends very much,” she said.

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4. Friendly centres give young people inside scoop on health issues

Young people can learn about important issues in a friendly, relaxed atmosphere.

May 2012: Madiha, 18, was a caregiver at the early childhood centre that Plan had set up in her village, Takia Shah Murad, in Pakistan. As well as working at the centre, she was enrolled in a private college near her village where she would attend classes in the evenings.

The early childhood centre she ran was set up on the premises of a large compound, adjacent to her home. One day, Madiha’s friend persuaded her to join Plan Pakistan’s reproductive health initiative with adolescents project and become a member of the Adolescent Friendly Centre. By doing this, she could get useful information and training opportunities on health issues.

“At first, I did not know exactly what goes on at the Adolescent Friendly Centre. I decided to be part of it because of my friend. Also the place was next to my kids’ school. I was interested in young children’s health issues and diseases,” Madiha said.

Valuable lessons

A couple of weeks later, a special session was organised at the centre where a Plan community development facilitator and a doctor from Plan delivered lectures. They spoke about a fast-spreading disease called hepatitis and the measures necessary to prevent the disease.

Learning that hepatitis was caused by uncleanliness alarmed Madiha, as nobody in her family particularly cared about keeping the house clean. Upon returning home, she shared this information with her parents and sisters. She found that her mother was experiencing some symptoms of hepatitis.

A trip to the doctor

The next day, Madiha and her mother went to the nearby town of Khanpur to be tested for hepatitis. The test results showed that Madiha’s mother was hepatitis-A positive. The doctor reassured them that it was curable and prescribed some medicine. He also advised them to ensure that their house was kept clean.

After that, Madiha’s family made sure the house was kept clean, that they washed their hands regularly and treated bruises and cuts instantly. Madiha was thankful for her decision to join the Adolescent Friendly Centre as it gave her lifesaving information for her family.

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5. Being a teenager in Pakistan

Nadeem soon learnt that he wasn't so different from everybody else.

June 2012: Nadeem, 16, lives in a large village deep in the rugged hills of Salt Range, Pakistan. He was in grade 9 when he started experiencing something that most boys and girls face entering adolescence: pimples. Both his cheeks were covered with red bumps and he felt embarrassed by his appearance. He became shy around his friends and cousins and started avoiding people as they were giving him odd looks and making remarks.

There were no proper medical facilities in Nadeem’s village. As in most rural areas, people experiment with home remedies or consult local doctors when they have health issues.

Traditional rememdies

Once, Nadeem visited the homeo-physician in a nearby town. The physician examined Nadeem and said that his stomach and liver were producing extra heat, resulting in the transfusion of heat in his blood and creating pimples. The physician warned that he may have a serious disease.

The homeopath gave him a one-month course of herbal ointments, syrups and tablets. When Nadeem came out of the clinic, he felt more dejected than before. “Before visiting the doctor I was just worried about the scars on my face, but the hakeem (physician) told me that I have severe health problems that might lead to consequences in future,” he said.

Nadeem took the medicines regularly but to no avail. One day, he met a young boy who attended the village’s Adolescent Friendly Centre (AFC). The centre was actually a health facility for the village boys and girls and had been set up by Plan under the reproductive health initiatives with adolescents programme (RHIA), a project focused on adolescent empowerment. This project aims to ensure adolescents receive factual, clear, comprehensive and age-appropriate information about their sexuality and reproductive health and to equip them with related life skills to deal with it.

Healthy advice

Nadeem met the staff at the centre and soon started attending health sessions in the evenings. Within a week or two he learnt that his pimples were not a serious problem, but rather a normal part of growing up. Nadeem was no longer worried and now knew that they would gradually disappear.

Nadeem’s confidence returned and his shyness faded. He became a regular member of the adolescent centre, eagerly participating in the activities offered by visiting Plan staff and youths associated with the community.

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6. On the road for a quick cash boost

Basheer (right) was left with an uncertain future few months ahead

April 2012: When flood waters ravaged parts of Pakistan last year, farmers and land labourers could only watch in horror as crops were ruined and homes washed away. With no way to make a living off the land, many villagers had to look for other ways just to make ends meet.

Basheer Mai from Mol Wala in Teshsil Kot Addu, Muzaffargarh district, is illiterate and landless, living in a mud hut with her 8 children and sick husband. The flooding was a huge setback for Basheer as the land she used to work on to make a wage was now under water. Having lost the only way she knew how to support her family, the future looked bleak.

“The floods caused heavy damage to agriculture in the area. I could not feed my children properly as there was no work. I had lost all hope to earn bread for my family. I was worried and desperate to feed them. How could I even think of my husband's medical treatment when my children were starving?” she said.

The road to recovery

Basheer’s life took a turn for the better when she got involved in a Cash for Work programme implemented by Plan Pakistan and the Doaba Foundation. Basheer and 99 other villagers worked together on the month-long repairing the village access road. From the money earned she was able to buy enough food to feed her family for the foreseeable future with a little left over to go towards school fees and medical bills.

“This project gave me some much-needed financial support. More importantly, it gave me a dignified way to support my family by providing an opportunity for me to earn money,” she added.

Tricky times

Sakena Mai, a widow and mother of 3, including a 20-year-old son with tuberculosis, found herself in a similar position in Basti Ghali Chanderer, Lohanch Nashib Union Council.

“The flood in Basti Ghali Chanderer affected us very badly and 90% of the crops and houses were destroyed,” she said.

Just like in Mol Wala, Plan and Doaba rolled out a Cash for Work project to repair the village access road, giving distraught villagers a way to earn a living and make up for some of their losses at the hands of the flood.

“With the money earned I am able to afford medical treatment of my son and I can buy other important things for my home,” she added.

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7. Clean water at last!

These villagers saw the problem and came up with the solution.

January 2012: The people of Goth Mohammad Bakhsh in Dera Allah Yar district, Baluchistan province, knew that the water they drank had been contaminated by seepage from a septic tank -- they could see human excrement floating on the pond they gathered it from -- but they also knew that without that water, they’d go thirsty. 

As villager Haji Abdul Aziz Khosa explained, “There was no proper source of water safe to drink or to use for domestic purposes.” In fact, the 350 households of the village were drawing water from the same pond their livestock bathed in. 

The villagers’ lives have now been transformed by an initiative jointly supported by Plan Pakistan and its local partner, Islamic Relief, which saw a team of social mobilisers travel across the flood-affected districts of Naseerabad and Jaffarabad to educate 200,000 people on the joys of hand-washing, sanitation, drainage systems, the consumption of safe drinking water and the safe disposal of human waste.

Keeping it in the community

In Goth Mohammad Bakhsh, a social mobiliser helped the community conduct what’s called “social mapping”, for which villagers identify and prioritise their key developmental problems at a public meeting.

Providing clean water was at the top of the list. Together, villagers traced the source of contamination of the pond and discussed the possible repercussions. Then, they decided to clean out the old septic tank. The 2,450 residents have since seen a decrease in the number of people getting sick from water-borne diseases.

Haji Aziz added that villagers also learned about the importance of personal hygiene, which had never been discussed before.

“No doubt these steps are for our own benefit. We were not following them before due to a lack of awareness. We are satisfied with the efforts of programme implementation and we hope to be helped out in future.” 

Meanwhile, the social mobilisers have moved on to other areas in need of support, spreading their message of cleanliness and ensuring villagers live happier, healthier lives.

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8. Ending open defecation in rural Pakistan

Shazma led the way in her community

January 2012: More than 1/3 of Pakistanis living in rural areas don’t have toilets. People young and old, healthy and infirm, male and female are forced to use the great outdoors as their loo, making use of bushes, riverbanks, open fields and small groves.

Not only are open-defecation sites smelly and unsightly, but the resultant contamination of water supplies causes disease as villagers blithely use untreated water, assuming that clean to the eye means clean in an absolute sense. 

Fortunately, with the help of a local partner, Integrated Rural Support Programme (IRSP), Plan Pakistan is changing this dire state of affairs. In 13 villages in Sawaldher Union Council, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, more than 450 community resource persons (CRPs) are motivating villagers at health and hygiene sessions to encourage people to build toilets and stop the spread of disease. So far, so good. 

A murky start

Consider the “before” state in a typical village like Balandi, where 40-year-old Shazma lives with her 9 children. Shazma’s family suffered terribly from not having a toilet: skin disease as well as diarrhea and other gastro-intestinal disorders plagued them.

In fact, Shazma's daughter, Nazia, developed a nasty infection on her leg that oozed pus for days -- all because the family didn’t know about the importance of good hygiene.

But now, after attending a mixed-gender health-and-hygiene session that delivered the disturbing message that the family had in effect been consuming their own excreta, Shazma was finally convinced she needed a toilet -- immediately.

A bright future

With an initial outlay of just 2,100 rupees ($40), Shazma’s family built a temporary toilet. Now, after investing another 4,000 rupees ($77) to buy the materials she needs to build a permanent structure, Shazma is just waiting on a skilled mason to construct it.

With the demand in Balandi so high -- the village set a goal of total sanitation, with 100% of households committed to build toilets -- everyone has to wait his or her turn.

The training of masons, like the “trigger sessions”, will also be conducted by IRSP, but only after the current design is suitably modified. A demonstration toilet currently serves as a reminder of the good things to come. 

In the meantime, Shazma and her family are enjoying their good health, the fragrant air and the clean surroundings. Those late-night dashes to the fields, fearful of snake bites or worse, are now a distant memory.

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9. Children take the lead in cleaning up

Samiullah now knows all the right moves to keep his hands clean

January 2012: Sometimes mastering the simplest of tasks can make a world of difference. 6-year-old Samiullah from Sawaldher Mardan Union Council, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, is an expert in handwashing and has been teaching friends, family and neighbours about the positive impacts of good hygiene.

He knows all 6 steps like the back of this hand: 

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10. Clean water helps prevent illness in flood-hit Pakistan

Some 80,000 people in Badin now receive 200,000 litres of safe, drinking water every day

November 2011: Jaan Mohamma, 11, had to walk many kilometres from his home to fetch water from wells after floods in August and September contaminated the water supply in his village in Badin, a district in southern Pakistan’s disaster-prone Sindh province.

“It was too salty for me to drink. For some people who drank it, they caught diarrhea,” says Jaan as he fills up his jerry can with clean, drinkable water from a blue tank provided by Plan Pakistan and local partner HANDS.

“Now I am happy that the water source is so close to home,” says Jaan, who now doesn’t have to sacrifice his school time for water fetching.

Deep impact

Heavy rains and floods in late August and early-September have killed some 200 people and made 6.8 million homeless or displaced across Pakistan. Out of those affected people, 1.8 million of them live in Badin, the worst-hit region. 

Jaan is among the 80,000 people Plan and HANDS are providing 200,000 litres of safe drinking water to daily as the availability of safe drinking water has been a major challenge in Badin. Only 20 out of 78 water sources remain usable after the heavy rainfall. The situation has somewhat improved as the local government has fixed its water filtration plants and some INGOs have installed new ones. 

Plan, HANDS and UNICEF have teamed up to ensure clean water is trucked in daily to fill water tanks in remote villages for people to have clean, drinkable water. There is a phone number and a message in local Sindhi language on each water tank for the villagers to call for advice.

All hands on deck

With Plan’s support, HANDS has put up Sindhi slogans of health awareness in villages and on radio to educate people on how to keep themselves and their neighbourhood clean.

“Thanks to clean water from Plan, UNICEF and HANDS, many of us no longer have sore throats or upset stomachs from bad water,” says village chief Mohammad Ali.

Opportunities for sanitation interventions are limited in areas that are still inundated and funding remains a major bottleneck for many agencies working to initiate and scale up the water, sanitation and hygiene response, the UN Office of Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs warned in its latest situation report 4 November.

“More funds are needed to support the large returnee population and prevent an outbreak of disease as most of the resources in the villages are damaged and not functional, therefore putting the population at risk. If additional funds are not available immediately, several Cluster members will run out of resources in a few weeks.”

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11. Despite losses, flood-hit survivors strive to rebuild lives

Mohammad Ali Lund with his family in their tent provided by Plan

November 2011: Farmer Mohammad Idrees Lund, 28, lost most of his 12-animal livestock when flood waters hit his home and farmland in Badin, an arid district in southern Pakistan’s Sindh province, in August and September.

Left with only two goats, a tiny plot of flooded land and a damaged hut, Idrees is optimistic he will be able to lead his family to emerge stronger than before.

“I lost nearly everything – two buffaloes to milk and goats to sell to market. But thanks to God, I still have my family with me,” said the father of 6, whose mud house lost its hay-thatched roof in the floods that have killed some 200 people and made 6.8 million people homeless or displaced across Pakistan.

Established support

Idrees is among 16,000 families Plan and its partner HANDS have provided with health and hygiene kits in Badin where 1.8 million people were hit by the floods. He is also among the 80,000 people Plan and HANDS are providing 200,000 litres of safe drinking water to daily.

Idrees and 10 other families with small children now live in tents made of tarpaulin given to them by Plan. Next to him is his brother Mohammad Ali Lund, a 45-year-old taxi driver and farm labourer, who has 12 children and 14 grandchildren.

Due to the flood waters, Ali’s main occupational tool, his two-decade-old Suzuki taxi cab, lost its rear window and needs a major repair.

Mouths to feed

Although Ali’s six adult children have moved out to live elsewhere, Ali still has more than 10 mouths to feed. He has been living on a government cash transfer of 10,000 rupee ($114) and relief supplies from Plan and other NGOs. Food and cash will be depleted soon if he doesn't look for work.

“I am happy to do any work, I’m looking for a job on a farm in the village or a labour job in town to have some money to feed my children and rebuild our home,” Ali said.

The problem is that not many jobs will be available for Idrees and Ali as the new growing season has been delayed by the still-standing flood water and the saline soil caused by breached canals meant to drain salt water to the sea.

Plan Pakistan is hoping to fill this gap with a “cash for work” project. Through this project, Plan will be helping families to generate income to support their children while at the same time providing an opportunity to repair and restore essential community services that were damaged by the floods.

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12. Woman delivers healthy baby boy in flood shelter

Kamla and her healthy newborn son

December 2011: When the second wave of floods hit Badin in the first week of September, Kamla, 30, was expecting her second child, a baby boy, who was due to be born at anytime. When the rains started, she started to worry as her house in Punjab Chak village had a thatched roof and only one room so it would be difficult for her to deliver the baby while her family sheltered inside.

When the water level started rising, Kamla and her family watched as their belongings became submerged. Before the floods she had planned for a local midwife to assist with the delivery at home, but with no dry space this wasn't going to be possible.

“I was so scared, didn't know what to do. I could feel that the time for delivery was near, but all I could see around me was water. Then I left it to fate as this whole thing was beyond my understanding.” Kamla said.

Community spirit

Just when all hope appeared lost, Kamla’s neighbours came to the rescue and built her a raft-like structure out of timber. The family escaped the water and reached dry ground where they were able to find a midwife, who had also been forced out of her home. 

“I delivered my baby next day, when it was still raining but I had shelter above my head,” she said.

That shelter had been supplied by Plan Pakistan who had registered families in Badin and distributed canvas sheets to people displaced by the floods.

“Had it not been for this shelter, I don’t know what I would have done,” said Kamla, who delivered a healthy baby boy.

Reaching out

Plan has also distributed 5,000 health and hygiene kits to affected families in Badin. These kits contain bath soap, washing soap, disinfectant and other materials needed for everyday cleanliness. Plan’s partner staff visited affected communities and gave health and hygiene training sessions to talk about the importance of using the materials provided.

‘I use soap and Dettol to clean my baby every day so that he is healthy. I know that if I keep my child clean he will be healthy and not fall sick,” added Kamla.