If you were shot in an armed conflict, what would you do?

IF you were shot in an armed conflict when you were in college and lost both legs, what would you do? This was the question young Javed Ahmed Tak asked after he was caught in the crossfires of the violent armed conflict that plagued Jammu and Kashmir in the 1990s. He was shot in the spine and this caused severe damage to his internal organs and led to him losing both his legs. In the months that followed, young Javed’s life spiraled out of control but he soon realized that his life had a much deeper meaning and purpose. 

 

Javed decided to dedicate the rest of his life toward helping other people with disabilities and empowering them to live their life to the fullest extent possible. He decided that education was the strongest method to transform the lives of disadvantaged people with disabilities. He founded Humanity Welfare Organisation Helpline in 2003 to help people with disabilities get access to their rights such as education, employment, rehabilitation, therapies, skills training and more. The NGO also helps the families of persons with disabilities and communities at large. 

Shot in the spine and confined to a wheelchair

In armed conflicts around the world, innocent victims get caught in the violence and their lives are impacted for the worse. Both adult and child civilians are killed, maimed, abducted, abused and exploited and have to suffer the loss of their friends, families and the lives they once knew and cherished. This is what happened to Javed Ahmed Tak. He was shot in the back and the bullet hit his spine, rendering him unable to walk for the rest of his life. He also lost a kidney, which caused severe health complications and left him wheelchair-bound for life.

 

Javed was in the hospital for more than two years and had to undergo multiple surgeries. The doctors had given up on him and said that it was hopeless to keep trying to help him. But Javed had an indomitable spirit and he fought to live. That was the physical side of his struggle. He soon realized that he had to get accustomed to life in a wheelchair and go from being independent to dependent on others. He also watched his friends living their lives and for a brief moment, he looked at his own life with despair. But he disregarded this for he had a new idea in mind.

From being helpless to helping others

Javed Ahmed Tak was never one to be defeated. Even at his young age, he looked upon his new circumstances and realized that there were a lot of things that needed to happen to help people with disabilities live better lives. Javed started with education and began holding free classes for orphans and underprivileged children in his neighborhood. This caught the attention of his neighbors who started offering their services and helping him in his mission to help others. Javed accepted this help with gratitude and realized he needed to scale up to help more people.

 

Javed assembled a group of people who would collect used books, uniforms and school supplies for the children to use. In 2007, he opened a special school for children with disabilities in a small rented room with just two blind female students. In time and with a lot of hard work, this special school was transformed into a developmental center focusing on the all-round growth and development of people with disabilities. Javed’s dream was coming to fruition and he spent whatever money he had on building the school to serve more children.

Humanity Welfare Organisation Helpline

Humanity Welfare Organisation Helpline is a grassroots NGO founded by Javed Ahmed Tak that provides education to children with disabilities, assistive equipment such as wheelchairs, crutches and hearing aids, rehabilitation in the form of therapies and personal support to overcome their disabilities and be integrated into schools, workplaces and society at large. Humanity Welfare Organisation Helpline also helps families care for people with disabilities and raises awareness amongst the general public about greater acceptance of people with disabilities. 

 

Javed’s organization established a school called Zaiba Aapa Institute of Inclusive Education where 100 children with disabilities receive education, rehabilitation and support to achieve their goals and improve their futures. The school offers education in Braille, sign language and therapeutic activities such as sports, music, arts and crafts and mobility training exercises. The children’s disabilities include speech, hearing and visual impairments and the Humanity Welfare Organisation Helpline provides crucial support through their services and resources.

Javed Ahmed Tak’s accomplishments

From his college days, Javed Ahmed Tak has achieved much. Humanity Welfare Organisation Helpline has won The National Award for Persons for Welfare of Persons with Disabilities, the Shell HELLEN KELLER Award for Employment of Disabled People, been in the Limca Book of records and its founder Javed Ahmed Tak was conferred the prestigious Padma Shri award in 2020. But despite all these laurels, his most valuable accomplishment has been transforming the lives of children with disabilities and giving them the hope and confidence to build better futures for themselves.

 

Support Humanity Welfare Organisation Helpline

When you make a charitable donation to Humanity Welfare Organisation Helpline, you help Javed Ahmed Tak provide much needed care and support to children who are suffering without help for their various disabilities. Javed Ahmed Tak understands the pain and difficulties of being a young person with physical disabilities. He therefore made it his life’s mission to reach out to as many children with disabilities as possible and give them the foundation on which to build better and stronger lives. To support Humanity Welfare Organisation Helpline:

 

Support Javed Ahmed Tak

 

📷: Kashmir Global

 

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