Posted on Sister Zeph’s Journal
By Sister Zeph
Date: June 18, 2015
Meet Neela, a determined 16-year-old girl, the eldest among her two brothers and one sister. She is currently in the 10th standard, harboring a steadfast goal of joining the Police department.
Not long ago, Neela confided in one of our teachers at the center, revealing that she relies on painkillers daily to alleviate her persistent body aches. Our teacher recommended drinking milk as a remedy, but Neela unveiled a heartbreaking truth: in her home, meals are prepared only a few times a week. On some nights, they retire to bed with empty stomachs, while on others, they quench their thirst with plain water and sleep. Her father battles hepatitis C, and her mother grapples with TB.
Laila, also 16, aspires to be a journalist. Yet, she faces an additional struggle—she has not yet begun menstruating due to blood deficiency. Her mother stitches footballs to earn a meager $1 for every four she crafts. Her father, suffering from a debilitating back condition, lacks the means for medical treatment.
Then there’s Lubna, a 17-year-old awaiting the results of her matriculation exams with dreams of joining the Pak Army as a soldier. She is one of seven sisters and has one brother. Her father’s relentless hope for a son led to the birth of so many daughters. According to him, since girls eventually leave for their husbands’ homes, it’s not their parents’ responsibility to provide them with proper sustenance. Lubna’s father, alongside her mother, oversees mealtime in their home, doling out meager portions of cooked potato and rice, leaving the children too famished to request more, regardless of their hunger.
These three girls bear visible signs of weakness, their eyes and bodies resembling those of mere skeletons.
All three hold lofty aspirations, and all three rightfully deserve the basic necessities every girl should have, but none of them possess these essentials.
Can anyone fathom the helplessness that arises when you are a child and desperately hungry, yet you dare not voice your hunger to your parents? Either you fear them or you understand that their poverty has left them hungry too.
I provide them with uniforms, books, and occasionally, food, but this is far from sufficient. They require sustenance every day, for it is their undeniable right.
I used to ponder why our country lags behind others in progress. Yet, as I look at these girls, the answer becomes clear—it’s because our country neglects to invest in our girls, thereby depriving them of the opportunity to raise healthy children.
Healthy bodies house healthy minds, but how can these generations, deprived of essential nutrients like protein, calcium, and iron, hope to achieve their goals?
My fervent wish is that one day, our center will boast a dining room where all students can partake in a nutritious and balanced meal each day.