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“No father has given a greater gift to his children than good moral training”, said our beloved Prophet Muhammad(peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). [Tirmidhi]
In the light of this guiding principle and being aware of the fact that education plays a pivotal role in nurturing the human being for forming, leading and sustaining a healthy society, Pakistan Association Dubai has embarked on it first Education Support Program in the month of October 2007.
This program has shown hope to several suppressed Pakistani families in the U.A.E who were not sure whether their sons and daughters would ever be able to start or continue their education due to lack of financial means.
In the first phase, 45 students, ranging from kindergarten to intermediate, to be enrolled at 10 different schools have benefited
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from the program. Sponsorships worth AED 200,000 have already been granted.
“I can only pray for those community members who have contributed and PAD’s representatives who are pursuing this noble cause. May Allah reward you”, said Abdullah with tears in his eyes, the overwhelmed father of two brilliant kids, while receiving the sponsorship papers.
Fatima, mother of an orphan, could not believe that also her son Ahmed would be able to return to school, complete his education, and fulfill the dreams of his late father.
Dear community members! Let’s join hands. Let’s tell our countrymen and -women that they are not alone. Let’s demonstrate our national spirit to build and promote a healthy community – a community that cares and touches the hearts and souls of its members. |
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Honest hearts produce honest action... |
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- Honest hearts produce honest actions
- Honesty is the best policy.
- Honesty brings happiness, peace and contentment.
We have been hearing all the above things all our lives, but we hardly see anyone practicing these in real life now a days, when it comes to money.
Rahim Khan Khilgi, a hardworking, an ordinary Limousine Driver in Abu Dhabi is an exception who practically lives by these principles.
For him the gratitude and happiness of a person who gets back his belongings is immeasurable and more valuable than any amount of money.
He comes across a situation where people forget their valuables in his limousine like mobile phones, papers and cash on daily basis.
Till now he has returned cash to their owner ranging from $ 2,000 to AED 40,000, and has a solid conviction of returning any amount irrespective of its value.
Once he had even been subjected to a traffic fine while trying to return a mobile phone to a passenger who was leaving for Bulgaria. The gentleman was so overwhelmed by his honesty that he handed over his Credit Card to Rahim to buy any gift for him or his family, but instead of receiving the reward he was contended by the gratitude and the acknowledgement that he received as an honest Pakistani.
When Pahchaan contacted Mr. Rahim he was about to leave for the work at 5:00 p.m. for his 12 hours shift till morning. He earns about 2,600 Dirhams per month on an average.
He is a proud Pakistani from a village Badrashi near Naushehra District in NWFP. Being the eldest son in the family he had a big responsibility which he fulfilled religiously. As a result of honest hard work and support to his family, three of his brothers are
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Engineers by profession and leading a good life.
He is away from his country since 1974 and has been working in most of the Middle Eastern countries as a Foreman in the construction industry. In 1989 he came to UAE and joined ADWEA as a driver. He is associated with Fast Limousine service in Abu Dhabi for the past 3 years. He is the proud father of 5 girls and 4 boys. Three of them are already married. He is providing good education to his children as one of them has completed Electromechanical Diploma and the other one is BS in Computer Science.
Mr. Rahim is contentment and peace personified. Though he left his studies after matriculation but his thinking, manners and speech can be favourably compared to any highly educated person. He has good command of English, Arabic and of course his mother tongue.
Majority of people wonder why he returns the bounty that comes his way, but his family and friends and especially his wife is very proud of his honesty and character.
Pehchaan is proud to be able to introduce a Pakistani Hero like Mr. Rahim and wish that our entire nation becomes a collection of Mr. Rahims. |
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A Refreshing Smile… |
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...of Khizar Hayat awaits you at the Pakistan Association Dubai. Hailing from the famous Pakistani city of Gujrat, Khizar came to Dubai 8 months ago to work as a helper at PAD. He had worked in his native city as an electrician before moving to his new home in the UAE. According to him the best part of his job is that it never makes him homesick. He experiences a little of Pakistan everyday dealing with several of his countrymen. He makes the best cup of tea that Dubai has to offer and his passion is to serve the community the best he can. He would like to welcome you at the PAD through this newsletter and to meet him and his other colleagues who are instrumental in running your association.
We should never forget that a small gesture of kindness, even if it’s a smile goes a long way for people who are away from their homes and families. See you soon.
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Put your own Shark in the tank |
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It is an undisputed fact that an average Pakistani is far smarter as individual than an average individual of any other nationality. We are smart, intelligent, hardworking, resilient and real survivors under any circumstances and environment, but the trouble starts the moment we gather as a group. We become a group, we become quarrelsome, lazy and lose the edge of all individual qualities.
Following Japanese story depicts and provides the probable reason and possible solution to this common dilemma
The Japanese have a great liking for fresh fish. But the waters close to Japan have not held many fish for decades. So, to feed the Japanese population, fishing boats got bigger and went farther than ever. The farther the fishermen went, the longer it took to bring back the fish. The longer it took them to bring back the fish, the staler they grew.
The fish were not fresh and the Japanese did not like the taste.
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To solve this problem, fishing companies installed freezers on their boats. They would catch the fish and freeze them at sea. Freezers allowed the boats to go farther and stay longer. However, the Japanese could taste the difference between fresh and frozen fish. And they did not like the taste of frozen fish. The frozen fish brought a lower price. So, fishing companies installed fish tanks. They would catch the fish and stuff them in the tanks, fin to fin. After a little hashing around, the fish stopped moving. They were tired and dull, but alive.
Unfortunately, the Japanese could still taste the difference. Because the fish did not move for days, they lost their fresh-fish taste. The Japanese preferred the lively taste of fresh fish, not sluggish fish. The fishing industry faced an impending crisis! But today, it has got over that crisis and has emerged as one of the most important trades in that country! How did Japanese fishing companies solve this problem? How do they get fresh-tasting fish to Japan?
To keep the fish tasting fresh, the Japanese fishing companies still put the fish in the tanks. But now they add a small shark to each tank. The shark eats a few fish, but most of the fish arrive in a very lively state. The fish are challenged and hence are constantly on the move. And they survive and arrive in a healthy state! They command higher price and are most sought-after. The challenge they face keeps them fresh!
Humans are no different. L. Ron Hubbard observed in the early 1950's: "Man thrives, oddly enough, only in the presence of a challenging environment. " George Bernard Shaw said: " Satisfaction is death!"
The moral of the story is that Complacency makes you stale & positive stress keeps you fresh & alert. As a nation we require challenges and avoid false security that we feel as a group.
If you share this opinion, observation and concern, do you also agree that we as a Nation also require a “SHARK” in our tanks. The conclusion is left to you. |
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Ameera is a 65 year old widow who lives in Deira Dubai with her four daughters, 1 son and 12 grandchildren. The total monthly household income does not exceed 3000 Dirham.
Ameera has been in the UAE for well over 30 years. All her children were born here and she had a comfortable life. Her children have never experienced life in Pakistan and they are at home in Dubai. After her husband got terminally ill they decided to quickly marry their daughters due to their uncertain financial future.
Three of her daughters got married and between them had 10 children. Unfortunately the husbands of all three daughters got deported due to visa issues. Ameera’s son also has two sons and one of them is deaf and dumb. Her sons in law are in Pakistan and they are not in a position to support their families. Her daughters are now on her visa but they can barely make the ends meet.
Ameera works as a cleaner at a local school and her son is a driver with a company at Jebel Ali.
This is a true story of a fellow Pakistani family where the children cannot go to school, they can’t even afford enough food that is not even equal to the leftovers at our normal dinner tables. These children run in the depressing alleys, bare footed in the scorching sun. Please take a look at your children after you read this article and then just imagine the pain and anguish these people feel for their children everyday.
Isn’t it sad that these very people live a few kilometers from our
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comfortable apartments and villas and yet we know nothing about them. At times, Ameera is asked why doesn’t she just pack up and leave for Pakistan while the truth is that her only contact with the country is the language and the passport. Returning would mean more torture and pain as its an alien land for her.
PAD is the forum through which some of the grievances & pains of such destitute and helpless Pakistanis are being addressed. We do not lack the people who have capacity and compassion to come forward and contribute for such noble cause.
If you want to be the part of this group, come and join in as a volunteer to help the many needy families from Pakistan, every Monday at the PAD near Rashid Hospital Dubai.
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PAD Objectives |
- To promote a positive image of Pakistan in the UAE
- To represent the true culture of Pakistan
- To encourage brotherhood among the community
- To provide a platform for community’s social and recreational
activities
- To create awareness of community issues and find solutions
through participation
- To establish liaison between PAD and Pakistan Consulate
- To prepare the young generation for future challenges by developing
their character and competence
- To enhance female participation in community affairs
- To provide a platform for clean and healthy entertainment
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