June 22nd, 2016

Theater On Disability Khowaja Chapter from Primary Education Project (PEP) on Vimeo.

                                                                 Disability A Taboo in Rural Sindh:

One of the most common taboos after Early Marriage and AIDS that is so prevalent in our society is "Disability". It is treated as a stigma, and there is no approval in society for those people who are suffering from this imputation.
A village in Khowaja Goth, Rural Sindh, chants the same story of the scars that disable people, and  especially children, have been bearing since birth. The lame or mentally retarded children have one and only possible way to survive, and that is to be shut out completely from society. The families of the disable feel an inner shame and imagine this albatross  to never end.
But, just as on one axis the taboo of Disability rises, on the other side of the axis, the anticipation of acceptance for disable people is also rising.

                                                      Young Graduates Fight Against Disability Issue:

A young group of stirring graduates from the PEP schools of Khowaja Goth are determined to inspire communities to stop treating disability as a taboo, because they believe that people with disabilities are just as important as the other members of the society.
These graduates have joined together from the 12 PEP schools of Khowaja Goth and formed a Theater group that serves to raise awareness on different social issues in rural Sindh. Their recent theater on disability had left the audience in complete awe.
The objectives of the Theater group were to raise awareness about  why and how people become disable, causes, and what should be the behavior towards the disable children and people.

                                                           Response Of The Khowaja Goth Communities:

A total of 1066 students were present from the 12 schools of Khowaja Goth along with the community members. The theater event became a great attraction for all those who were present in Khowaja Goth communities.
The communities where the theater was performed were asked to do  a self assessment of how they perceive as well as treat disable people, and sadly many of the people accepted their participation in making disability a taboo. 
The communities very much appreciated the graduates who participated in the theater and all belonged to their own communities. They made a promise with the Theater group that they would work on their behavior towards handicapped people and encourage any handicapped students to join PEP school.