As I entered a classroom in Tauseef Memorial School (TMS), I felt nervous; I had no prior experience with children.
But as the class stood up, waved and greeted me in unison — ‘Good morning, teacher!’ — I laughed, and instantly warmed up. I was no teacher, but would take my assigned profession in stride.
In the next room, volunteers like myself had gathered with the Kumak Pakistan team. The voluntary organisation was founded in 2008 by five Karachi University graduates, and has been engaged in philanthropic work since.
Every year on August 14, the Kumak team comes together to distribute Independence Day memorabilia and arrange activities for children admitted at the National Institute of Child Health in Jinnah Hospital. Every now and then, the team also organises blood drives in collaboration with hospitals.
The team briefed volunteers on the two-day activity: an Eid shopping spree for 80 children in Karachi whose parents could not afford to buy them new clothes.
Most of the volunteers had participated in the activity before and were familiar with the procedure. First, we were taken through some safety measures for the children, then every volunteer was delegated to their assigned group of kids.
I was paired three smiling girls: Bakhtawar, Seema and Faariya. Their faces were radiant at the prospect of meeting their new ‘teacher.’ Around the room, other children were jumping around, equally enthusiastic about the day that was to unfold.
I asked Bakhtawar what colour she wanted her dress to be. “I haven’t decided yet,” the intelligent girl answered, “I will take a decision once I’ve seen the variety!”
To get to our designated shopping area, Kareemabad, the Kumak team arranged several modes of transportation. Some wanted to go in a rickshaw, others preferred a car. Throughout the drive, the kids kept talking to one another across their vehicles, laughing and cheering. Despite the scorching heat, the group’s energy could not be contained, and increased manifold when we started talking about Eid festivities.
Gathering in the parking lot, we briefed the children on safety measures. Seema pointed in the market’s direction and exclaimed, ‘Are we going inside this market?’ I nodded, and her face lit up.
Once the cue was given, the kids started walking so fast that we had to run to catch up with them.
The girls and I entered a shop and began browsing. There was nothing that caught our eye, so a woman suggested another place.
From the onset, I was impressed by the girls’ shopping sense. Seema was the first to select a dress, a long embroidered kameez.
Then came forth Faariya, holding a black and white kameez with embroidery. When I checked the size and it fit, her face filled with excitement.
Bakhtawar, meanwhile, was still looking. She was a little confused, but finally settled on a beautiful dress. After clearing the bill, I asked the girls to wait on the stools as I joined another group’s hunt for a red dress.
I feel obliged to share here that once the shopkeepers learned about the activity, they not only charged nominal prices, but also helped us connect with other shops. If we couldn’t find the size, they knew where we might.
For instance, one of the groups was having difficulty finding a dress in a smaller size. So two team members asked me to stay with eight children while they went to help. As we huddled near a narrow street, another team member passed by. Upon learning what happened, she suggested I move forward and find footwear for the kids.
We found a shop nearby. "Itnay saray bachay!" [So many kids!], the salesman exclaimed as we entered.
I told him about the initiative, and he agreed to sell us shoes at a discounted price. By now, my initial anxiety had gone away. These were no longer the new kids I was nervous interacting with, they were my kids.
They loved the selection on display and took their time to select the perfect shoe, but by the end, we managed to pick all eight pairs.
A team member called me; we had to gather back in the parking area. There, we handed over the remaining money, and excitedly began swapping experiences. The volunteers — who were all fasting — were visibly exhausted, but the shining jubilation in the children’s eyes gave us some much-needed energy.
We left the market and headed back to TMS with the children hugging their shopping bags.
At TMS, the bags were opened and the day’s purchases laid out — each child could not wait to tell her friends about her experience.
Team Kumak had achieved its goal; the cheering and talking in the room was proof enough.
—All photos courtesy Kumak Pakistan