Manno Mai has 12 children-- six sons and six daughters. Ten of them are married. Like 40-year-old Manno, her children were married at a young age.

Her son Yasin, who is now 12, spends his time playing and wandering with his peers. Neither him, nor any of his ten now married siblings, are educated.

Instead, their impoverished childhood is spent on the streets of Chakwal, where they help Manno as she begs for money.

Manno, who is 40, looks much older after twelve consecutive births. Her body is weak, and her pale face riddled with marks.

Every morning, Manno leaves her makeshift home and disappears into the bustling markets of Chakwal city, where she spends the day begging, and returns home in the evening with Rs300-Rs400.

Manno belongs to the gypsy community of Chakwal, which has been living in the area for the last 25 years.

The community’s main dwelling is a long strip of makeshift homes along an abandoned railway track in Kazamabad, but some families also live in other parts of the city.

According to statistics, there are over seven million gypsies living in Pakistan. But despite their number, gypsies have no identity due to their lack of documentation.

There is no concept of birth registration within the community, which makes it difficult for them to get Computerised National Identity Cards (CNIC).

Despite living in Chakwal as a community for 25 years, gypsies remain on the edge of society, abhorred by the public and abandoned by the state.

They remain deprived of basic rights despite being Pakistani citizens. The gypsy community lives below the poverty line, in severely unhygienic conditions. Their distress, hopelessness and alienation is palpable.

“I grew up begging with my parents, and so did most of my children. The lives of my parents, my children and myself have been spent the same way; with the same problems and suffering,” Manno told Dawn. However, Manno remained hopeful for her youngest, Razia.

Razia, 6, is a ray of hope for her mother. “My Razia will become a doctor,” Manno asserted confidently.

Gypsy children in Chakwal are not sent to school. Neither their parents, nor the government, is interested in educating them. However, a year ago, local philanthropists launched an initiative to educate gypsy children.

The two projects,under the names Jhuggi School Project and Jhuggi School Centre, began in October 2014.

The pioneers of the project, Yunus Awan and Advocate Iftikhar Haider head local organisations, Trust for Information and Knowledge (TAIK) and Centre for Rural Development (CRD), respectively.

Under the project both organisations set up informal schools in gypsy localities, where children were taught informally to prepare them for public schooling.

So far over 60 gypsy children have been admitted to various public schools.

The projects is funded by locals. “We don’t receive a single penny from national or international donors. Local philanthropists give us financial support,” Awan said.

“We give high quality education to our own children, and send them to the best institutions. These gypsy children also have a right to education,” he said.

Awan was of the view that by educating the children, they would be considered respectable citizens in society.

“There are about 100 gypsy children in Chakwal. If they are not educated, their lives will be no different from their parents,” he said. He added that his organisation also provides children with uniforms, and that rations are distributed amongst the families of children who attend school.

Senior advocate Chaudhry Mehmood Akhtar, who is a patron of the Jhuggi School Centre project, said that when his team approached the gypsy community and urged them to educate their children, they received a positive response.

“Just a few yards away from the gypsies’ makeshift homes, a grand house can be seen. I told them that they too could build such houses if they resolved to lead respectable lives,” Akhtar said.

“Whenever a car passes through their community, the gypsies wave their hands as salutation. They do not know who is travelling in the car, and yet the car is a symbol of power and honour to them,” he added.

He said that many gypsy men struggle with drug addiction and gambling.

“They earn Rs300 to Rs400 a day labouring, and then waste it in an evening of gambling and drugs,” Akhtar said.

Advocate Haider said that his organisation was going to file a writ petition before the Supreme Court for the enforcement of Article 25-A of the Constitution, which guarantees the right of free and compulsory education to all children between the ages of five and 16.

The gypsies of Chakwal, cut off as they are from society, did not think they would find local politicians and district government officials, or representatives from non-governmental organisations (NGO) mingling with their own community. However, since the launch of the Jhuggi School Project, local politicians, government officials and NGO representatives have visited gypsy communities regularly. Many are invited to events organised by the Jhuggi School Project.

“We host regular functions at our schools where we invite politicians, civil officials and influential people. Our main purpose is to end the sense of alienation haunting the gypsy community,” Awan said. He added that his organisation also arranges health camps within gypsy localities.

“Health issues are very graves amongst the community. They are not well-fed or aware of reproductive health. The mortality rate is also high within the community.” he said.

The effects of their efforts are obvious in the changes brought to the gypsy community. “My ten children were married early, but I will only marry my youngest daughter after she has completed her education,” Manno said.

“Had these schools not been set up, our children would never have been educated,” Mohammad Shafi added.

Among the host of problems facing the gypsy community is the severe alienation, malnutrition, early marriages and ignorance regarding health issues.

But provided the state launches a collective effort to address the issues affecting the lives of more than seven million Pakistanis, it is possible for the gypsy community to be brought back to safety, and into the fold of society.

Published in Dawn, October 11th, 2015

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