A simple but profound question

Nice rig. May not get a pink slip in Australia!

A few weeks back I travelled to Pakistan again for meetings with staff, donors and to visit some projects. Travelling to Pakistan is always a fascinating experience. It can be a sensory overload at times, but the people you meet are unfailingly hospitable and welcoming. On this particular visit my sensory overload began at the airport, as I queued in customs with many hundreds of pilgrims returning from Mecca. All were returning from the Haj and were dressed in white (as is the custom). Many were also carrying large containers of holy water from Mecca. The arrivals hall was jammed to overflowing, with family and friends awaiting the pilgrims and covering them with flowers as they entered. Quite a spectacle and mass of humanity to navigate through for a slightly jetlagged Australian at 3am in the morning! After some time I was able to locate our driver among the crowds and made my way to the nominated guesthouse in Islamabad.

As I have written in a previous blog, Islamabad is a modern 'planned' city not dissimilar to Canberra in Australia. The city can feel sterile at times, especially with huge houses, walled compounds and highly visible security present in many neighbourhoods. It is sometimes said that Islamabad is 30km from Pakistan. The 'real' Pakistan starts in Rawalpindi, a large neighbouring city and urban sprawl located close to Islamabad. Travelling to Rawalpindi is a huge contrast from Islamabad. Confronting in some ways, but also energising and intriguing for the sheer mass of humanity, noise, colour and chaos that can be found there.

Non-formal education class in Rawalpindi

World Vision has projects in various parts of Pakistan, including a large urban program in Rawalpindi which is focused mainly on working with street children in areas of education, health and social development. One component of the program works to build pathways to mainstream street children into formal education. This aspect of the program has been highly successful, but is not without its challenges. On my recent visit, we spent time with several community organisations and also schools that World Vision is partnering with. In one school we visited, I met with students in a basic classroom and was able to hear some stories about where these children had come from, and what they aspire to do with their lives. They all expressed different goals, but the one thing in common was hope. Considering where many of these students have come from, and to see the extreme poverty all around, I was humbled and encouraged to hear their perspectives.

One question from a student will always stay with me though. At the end of our discussion, a young boy who must have only been about 8 years old stood up and said "Sir, do you have child labour in your country?" The question rocked me, both in its simplicity and also the way it provided such confronting clarity on the existence that many of these children face every day.

Downtown Rawalpindi

Some of the urban slums, where many residents
are Afghan refugees