MANSEHRA: A nongovernmental organisation has provided psychosocial support to people with disabilities to bring them out of the traumas of being neglected by their families and society as a whole.

“We have been working to remove hurdles that prevent persons with disabilities (PWDs) from accessing financial and other benefits by offering voluntary assistance in preparing various documents. However, many of them are neglected by their families and society and poverty adds to their trauma,” Mukhtar Javed, executive director of Welfare Association Jerad, told reporters on Friday.

He said that the WAJ, under the HOPE’87 BeST-RAHAT initiative, was providing civil documentation services, psychosocial support and counselling services to PWDs in Haripur.

“We havealso been providing various forms of support to community members with disabilities through a qualified psychologist at WAJ’s Protection Resource Centre (PRC) established in UC Dheenda to provide psychosocial counselling and help them return to a normal life,” Mr Javed said.

He said that WAJ refers complicated cases to the Sarhad Rural Support Programme, the Social Welfare Department, the RHC KTS health facility, the International Rescue Committee and Handicap International by providing medical consultations arranged online with specialist doctors based in Peshawar.

Published in Dawn, March 14th, 2026