LIFE STORY OF ABID HUSSAIN BHATTI

To be humble is to chase the real accomplishment over hollow recognition. One such person is Abid Hussain Bhatti, a simple man but with a noblest of missions. He is an educationist and a humanitarian who runs an orphanage (Mera Ghar) and a welfare school (Angel Schooling System).

Tell us about yourself – where you grew up, what you studied, and what do you do?

Basically, I am a villager – I grew up in Shujabad. It is a small village near River Chenab. There I attended Bahauddin Zakarya University where I studied MPhil Mass Communications. After completing my degree, I started working with some local and international NGOs. For example, I worked with Cesvi Onlus – it is an Italian NGO – I also worked with Memoona Development Foundation, which worked for education in Multan. After working with around six NGOs on education, I decided to leave my jobs and start my own Orphanage. I usually do not tell my education to people unless I am directly asked, as I see it as some form of bragging. After all what is the use of education which does not teaches a person his identity (and value in front of the Almighty Allah).

That education is of no use which does not inculcate true identity in an individual (the value system commended by the Almighty Allah). – Abid Hussain Bhatti

How and why did you founded your school and orphanage?

In January 2016, I started Angel School System to provide free education in Khaliq Nagar, Lahore. I used to live there; it is a slum area and obviously it is an area for the poor. I started the welfare school since I had seven years’ worth of experience working with NGOs on education and many people in my area could not afford education for their children. We started off with 12 children in a single room, and that number is now 851. I remember I used to pay Rs. 2000 rent for it. I had to partition my room, where we had the classroom on one side and my personal room on the other. In the meantime, I was also working with Walled City as a surveyor. I did that job for a year, and then quit to completely focus on my school and orphanage. The “Mera Ghar” orphanage also started off in 2016 with 3 children and now stands at a total of 58.

What is the philosophy behind the name “Mera Ghar”?

Every time someone asked one of our orphan children where they lived, they would answer “Mera Ghar.” That’s why I thought it was logical to name it as such. After all, it created a positive feeling for these children that they have a home of their own and that all the people in it are their own.

How and why did you founded your school and orphanage?

In January 2016, I started Angel School System to provide free education in Khaliq Nagar, Lahore. I used to live there; it is a slum area and obviously it is an area for the poor. I started the welfare school since I had seven years’ worth of experience working with NGOs on education and many people in my area could not afford education for their children. We started off with 12 children in a single room, and that number is now 851. I remember I used to pay Rs. 2000 rent for it. I had to partition my room, where we had the classroom on one side and my personal room on the other. In the meantime, I was also working with Walled City as a surveyor. I did that job for a year, and then quit to completely focus on my school and orphanage. The “Mera Ghar” orphanage also started off in 2016 with 3 children and now stands at a total of 58.

Where do you get these orphans come from?

The children are mostly from Faisabad, Narowal and Harbunspra. We even have Christain children at Mera Ghar. Mostly, their guardians – often their own blood – leave these children. Often these guardians make lame excuses for leaving these children at our orphanage, but they mostly do this to seize the property of these orphans. They distance these orphans from themselves so that they don’t come back asking for their fair shares of property back. These children hardly ever hear back from their guardians again. It is unfortunate but this is the reality of our society.

The relatives/guardians often abandon these orphans so that they don’t demand their share from the inheritance. – Abid Hussain Bhatti

Are there any other projects you are working on?

So, in September 2016, we established a Pakistan Stitching Center which provided free training for women and helped them become independent. It was set up all with the help of donations from people: they donated 6 stitching machines for the cause. By the grace of God, we now have multiple such centers in Multan and Lahore. Our course spans over a year and accepts a maximum of 20 women. We are now working to set a new center here in Kahna Kacha. Apart from this I am also managing a Community Help Centre where we install water pumps, provide wheelchairs, provide ration, fund marriages etc. All of this is done by the donations from the people. Another project of mine is Fiqar-e-Akharat which is basically working on cleaning and maintaining of graveyards in Khaliq Nagar and nearby.

How did you got people to believe in you and your work?

This is a very important question. It is very easy for anyone to make money by fraud and miscommunication. I can take multiple donations for a single need and hide it, but sooner or later it will foster hatred in the hearts of people for me. And I fear that. For that reason, whenever I receive any kind of donation from anyone, I post it on my social media. That way people get to know that I have received the donation whatever it is: money for ration, wheelchairs, some food etc. This creates trust and strengthens my credibility. So that people know that I am not making money through gimmicks or fraud because my operations are open, and everyone can see them clearly. Therefore, today whenever I post any need on my Facebook, I get donation in less than an hour. Social media is powerful. But credibility is even more powerful.

I can take multiple donations for a single need and hide it, but sooner or later it will foster hatred in the hearts of people for me. – Abid Hussain Bhatti