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"Never in my life have I aimed to earn money for myself, but I am always elated to spend money on noble causes," said Begum. |
MUZAFFARABAD, Pakistan — After losing one of her children and relatives in the devastating 2005 earthquake, Kashmiri Sajila Begum sought her happiness exclusively in the welfare of others, dedicating the rest of her life to the poor of her community with a focus on education of which she was deprived.
"These two blows were too big for me, but I gathered my strength after the earthquake and decided to restart the school," Begum told Agence France-Presse (AFP) Saturday, September 1.
"I went to parents and asked them to send their kids to school. We started under the open sky first, then tents and finally in a tin shelter."
On October 8, 2005, a 7.6-magnitude earthquake struck Pakistani Kashmir, flattening 85 percent of Begum's city, Muzaffarabad, killing around 34,000 of its 900,000 people, injuring 56,000 and leaving hundreds of thousands homeless.
After the quake, Begum collected donations from well-off locals and added them to the compensation she received from the government on the death of her 21-year-old son and began building her school.
"I had decided one thing," Begum said, "that all of them (students) will go to school and as there was no school nearby."
She said that her poor family could not afford sending her to school and she does not want others suffer the same fate.
"I did not want others in my community to be deprived of education and decided to give others what I could not get during my childhood," Begum said as workmen put the final touches to the five-room school.
Begum's school will provide education for children from nursery up to fifth grade. It is free for orphans and children from poor families.
Her mantra is that those who can pay subsidize those who cannot and help cover expenses and teachers' salaries.
"My aim in life is that my school is upgraded to 10th grade," she said.
One Woman NGO
Begum has deservedly won the nickname "one woman NGO."
She did not suffice to make her school dream to come true, and embarked on other social welfare projects for her community.
She established a 24-hour piped water system for her neighbors, and a micro-loan scheme for poor women in the local community.
Begum has unshakable belief in her noble cause, which helped her overcome a myriad of obstacles and difficulties.
"I believe that when you have the right cause Allah helps you at every step and the success of your efforts is assured," she said.
And Begum is known for her altruism.
"Never in my life have I aimed to earn money for myself, but I am always elated to spend money on noble causes," said Begum, whose family gets by on her husband's monthly income of 8,000 rupees (133 dollars).
"I want all my projects to continue to serve humanity, even when I am no longer here."
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