MEET THIS 'KASHIR' GIRL .
To begin with my story, asyou call it, I am Sabreena Sidiqi. I hail from Srinagar.I have done schooling from Presentation Convent School. After thatpursued bachelors in Science from Womens College MA Road. I did Masters in Business Administration (MBA) from University of Kashmir with specialization in Marketing and Human Resource. Currently I am working as Project Officerat HELP Foundation for Mine Risk Education and Conventional Weapons Risk Reduction Project.Tell us about your work with HELP foundation Currently we are operatingin four border districts of Jammu and Kashmir-Rajouri, Poonch, Baramulla and Kupwara. All these districts are highly sensitive and mostly affected by conflict. Besides poverty and health issues, the people living in remote border areas near Line of Control (LoC) and beyond fence have suffered lot of death, disability and destruction due to landmines and cross border shelling. These deadly weapons don’t discriminate between any one. Not only civilians but even security persons have suffered many casualties. Physical Rehabilitation is one way of helping the victims. Butthere has to be another mechanism to prevent casualties. Thus need for Risk Education.We provide safety and security briefing to peopleliving in these areas as to how they can enhance their knowledge and change their behavior in order to avoid landmine orunexploded ordinance casualties. We also work on community Based Reporting System and make them understand how they can report the landmine incidents or its presence to the authorities. So the main objective is to prevent death and disability. We also coordinate with otherpartner for Physical Rehabilitation of victims and provide them Prosthesis and Orthosis. We also help the beneficiaries in earning their livelihood with dignity by providing them livelihood support and also provide financial assistance to children for education.Tell us about how you became a social worker ?I still remember as I child when for the first time I helped someone. It was winter of 2002 , I visited my uncles home in the city outskirts. I loved the aura of that place especially the well and therope. I used to frequently go near the well. I don’t know what was so fascinating about it. One fine day while roaming around I saw a small one room house. It seemed asif it was a house in nowhere. I still remember the face of that lady, sitting outside the house and feeding her new born.Other kid was playing withmud. Me and my cousin approached her. She smiled at us, that weak smile as if she had never smiled for ages. After a brief conversation I insisted her to let me go inside that house. As she opened the door I could see the darkness inside. The pain and suffering ; no carpet to walk over ; nobed to rest on. Few utensils and some clothesmessed up. Her elder child who I suppose must have been 3 years old thattime was continuously asking her something. Each time she pushed him away and told him to play with mud. When we asked her, she lowered her gaze and said he is feeling hungry. I don’t have much at home so I am saving it so that he can have it later. If he will have it now, he will feel hungry again and I won’t be left with anything to feed him. I felt shiver down my spine. I rushed back to my uncle’s home and looked for food. Initially I took food with the consent of my aunt but later I started to save it from my share and at times steal it. Rush to thatlady and give it to her. That smile which she gave each time and the satisfaction it brought in my heart was something which made me to visit her again and again. I wastoo young to realize it by then and I never had an idea that there are many people like this who are in need, need for basic things of life. I left from that place and this incident slowly started to fade away.Being a student of Management, my focus was to join corporate. I liked marketing and of course travelling, thus started my career as Business Development Associate. I used to do Promo Marketing for GPI and ITC products. However the best part about Management is thatit is blend of so many fields that our mind is always open to new things. However the crucible or turning point of my life was September 2014 floods. It was back then when I got associated with different NGOs of the valley. Though I worked for a very brief time for Rehabilitation of flood victims, but the impact of it on me was very strong. While travelling to various flood affected areas and interacting with people, I realized that there are problems and sufferings bigger than floods or any other natural calamity. I could feel the same shiverI felt back in 2002.I was pursuing my MPhil-Phd from University of Kashmir when I got an offer to work as Project Officer for Mine Risk Education and Conventional Weapons Risk Reduction. It was a pilot project in J&K. Without giving a second thought I joined it and eventually I got so passionate about it that I left my Phd and continuedwith the same. It has beenalmost 2 years now since I am working for this project.In Kashmir, girls are not allowed to travel alone much by families, how supportive have your parents been?I must say I have been truly blessed in this regard. My parents have been my spine. We all have a dream but unfortunately many die before they can be realized. I have been fortunate in this regard. I always had that freedom of doing what I like. I belong to a conservative family where girls are not allowed to travel alone and that too to far areas. In addition to this , all fields are not meant for girls. They just have to choose between a few, either teacher or doctor. To stand out of the crowd and work in conflict sensitive area where I have to do extensive travel day and night has only been possible with the support of my parents. They made me todream big, aim high, stood by my side and watched me accomplishing it. Whatever I am , it’s because of them . Thanks to them.
To begin with my story, asyou call it, I am Sabreena Sidiqi. I hail from Srinagar.I have done schooling from Presentation Convent School. After thatpursued bachelors in Science from Womens College MA Road. I did Masters in Business Administration (MBA) from University of Kashmir with specialization in Marketing and Human Resource. Currently I am working as Project Officerat HELP Foundation for Mine Risk Education and Conventional Weapons Risk Reduction Project.Tell us about your work with HELP foundation Currently we are operatingin four border districts of Jammu and Kashmir-Rajouri, Poonch, Baramulla and Kupwara. All these districts are highly sensitive and mostly affected by conflict. Besides poverty and health issues, the people living in remote border areas near Line of Control (LoC) and beyond fence have suffered lot of death, disability and destruction due to landmines and cross border shelling. These deadly weapons don’t discriminate between any one. Not only civilians but even security persons have suffered many casualties. Physical Rehabilitation is one way of helping the victims. Butthere has to be another mechanism to prevent casualties. Thus need for Risk Education.We provide safety and security briefing to peopleliving in these areas as to how they can enhance their knowledge and change their behavior in order to avoid landmine orunexploded ordinance casualties. We also work on community Based Reporting System and make them understand how they can report the landmine incidents or its presence to the authorities. So the main objective is to prevent death and disability. We also coordinate with otherpartner for Physical Rehabilitation of victims and provide them Prosthesis and Orthosis. We also help the beneficiaries in earning their livelihood with dignity by providing them livelihood support and also provide financial assistance to children for education.Tell us about how you became a social worker ?I still remember as I child when for the first time I helped someone. It was winter of 2002 , I visited my uncles home in the city outskirts. I loved the aura of that place especially the well and therope. I used to frequently go near the well. I don’t know what was so fascinating about it. One fine day while roaming around I saw a small one room house. It seemed asif it was a house in nowhere. I still remember the face of that lady, sitting outside the house and feeding her new born.Other kid was playing withmud. Me and my cousin approached her. She smiled at us, that weak smile as if she had never smiled for ages. After a brief conversation I insisted her to let me go inside that house. As she opened the door I could see the darkness inside. The pain and suffering ; no carpet to walk over ; nobed to rest on. Few utensils and some clothesmessed up. Her elder child who I suppose must have been 3 years old thattime was continuously asking her something. Each time she pushed him away and told him to play with mud. When we asked her, she lowered her gaze and said he is feeling hungry. I don’t have much at home so I am saving it so that he can have it later. If he will have it now, he will feel hungry again and I won’t be left with anything to feed him. I felt shiver down my spine. I rushed back to my uncle’s home and looked for food. Initially I took food with the consent of my aunt but later I started to save it from my share and at times steal it. Rush to thatlady and give it to her. That smile which she gave each time and the satisfaction it brought in my heart was something which made me to visit her again and again. I wastoo young to realize it by then and I never had an idea that there are many people like this who are in need, need for basic things of life. I left from that place and this incident slowly started to fade away.Being a student of Management, my focus was to join corporate. I liked marketing and of course travelling, thus started my career as Business Development Associate. I used to do Promo Marketing for GPI and ITC products. However the best part about Management is thatit is blend of so many fields that our mind is always open to new things. However the crucible or turning point of my life was September 2014 floods. It was back then when I got associated with different NGOs of the valley. Though I worked for a very brief time for Rehabilitation of flood victims, but the impact of it on me was very strong. While travelling to various flood affected areas and interacting with people, I realized that there are problems and sufferings bigger than floods or any other natural calamity. I could feel the same shiverI felt back in 2002.I was pursuing my MPhil-Phd from University of Kashmir when I got an offer to work as Project Officer for Mine Risk Education and Conventional Weapons Risk Reduction. It was a pilot project in J&K. Without giving a second thought I joined it and eventually I got so passionate about it that I left my Phd and continuedwith the same. It has beenalmost 2 years now since I am working for this project.In Kashmir, girls are not allowed to travel alone much by families, how supportive have your parents been?I must say I have been truly blessed in this regard. My parents have been my spine. We all have a dream but unfortunately many die before they can be realized. I have been fortunate in this regard. I always had that freedom of doing what I like. I belong to a conservative family where girls are not allowed to travel alone and that too to far areas. In addition to this , all fields are not meant for girls. They just have to choose between a few, either teacher or doctor. To stand out of the crowd and work in conflict sensitive area where I have to do extensive travel day and night has only been possible with the support of my parents. They made me todream big, aim high, stood by my side and watched me accomplishing it. Whatever I am , it’s because of them . Thanks to them.
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