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Transcript/ScriptPAKISTAN EDUCATION LAHORE SLUMS
HEADLINE: For Children of Pakistan's Slums, Education Brings Hope
TEASER: The slum kids of Pakistan’s Punjab receive help in obtaining an education from one of their own
PUBLISHED AT: Monday, 01/23/2023 at 11:55 p.m
BYLINE: Saman Khan
DATELINE: LAHORE, PAKISTAN
VIDEOGRAPHER: Saman Khan
VIDEO EDITOR: Saman Khan
PRODUCER: Bezhan Hamdard
SCRIPT EDITORS: Kenochs, Reifenrath
VIDEO SOURCE (S): VOA Original | VOA Urdu Service
PLATFORMS (mark with X): WEB __ TV X RADIO __
TRT: 2:27
VID APPROVED BY: Salem Solomon
TYPE: TVPKG
EDITOR NOTES:))
((INTRO))
[[Muhammad Sabir, a child who made a living from collecting scrap paper, now leads ‘Slumabad,’ a school for poor kids living in the slums of Lahore, Pakistan. VOA’s Saman Khan brings us the story, narrated by Bezhan Hamdard.]]
((NATSOUND: Muhammad Sabir talking to students))
“One who can read, can think, and if you can think, you can get ahead.”
((NARRATOR))
Once a child of Lahore Pakistan's slums, Mohammad Sabir chose a path in life that led him to education.
((Muhammad Sabir, School Founder)) ((Male in Urdu))
“My life started from a shack, where I was born. My parents also used to be laborers, collecting trash. I was fortunate that I was sent to a religious school to learn the Quran, and from there, I learned to read. I would save the newspaper pieces when picking trash.”
((NARRATOR))
To make money, Sabir sifted through garbage, looking for sellable goods like copper, paper and plastic. He also washed dishes and cleaned the windshields of cars stopped at traffic lights. He managed to finish high school and later received a diploma from the Institute of Chartered Management Accountants of Pakistan.
But Sabir believes his biggest achievement has been founding a school he calls ‘Slumabad,’ which gives children living in the slums of Lahore an opportunity to receive an education.
((Muhammad Sabir, School Founder)) ((Male in Urdu))
“It all started in 2007, when I was only 20. I used to feel that I had grown different from my community and that the things that I could do were not available to others. Hence, education for me was the best way of bringing that equality. So, I started by teaching my cousins, their children and then rest of the community.”
((NARRATOR))
The school that started in a makeshift tent has now expanded into four, and with the help of the community, Slumabad is now educating 650 children.
((Roshni, Student)) ((Female in Urdu))
“I didn’t study before. Now that we have this new school, I love to study, and I want to be a doctor.”
((Aishwarya, Student)) ((Female in Urdu))
“I see people living in nice houses, and we, too, want to live in a nice house. I want to study and get ahead.”
((NARRATOR))
Sabir says he was often considered abnormal as a child in the slums, but his passion for education allowed him to overcome challenges.
((Muhammad Sabir, School Founder)) ((Male in Urdu))
“You can imagine, a child reading, sitting on a heap of trash, and his cousins and other kids making fun of him. They thought I had gone crazy or was being lazy wasting time reading. For me, it was like a magical act.”
((NARRATOR))
Magic that Sabir believes is working to teach a generation of young people there is life beyond the slums of Lahore.
((For Saman Khan in Lahore, Pakistan, Bezhan Hamdard, VOA News.))
NewsML Media TopicsArts, Culture, Entertainment and Media
NetworkVOA
Location (dateline)
LAHORE, PAKISTAN
Embargo DateJanuary 23, 2023 23:49 EST
Byline((For Saman Khan in Lahore, Pakistan,
Bezhan Hamdard, VOA News.))
Brand / Language ServiceVoice of America - English
