The Maryam Colony is located next to Defense Housing Society, Lahore. It's population of 35,000 to 40,000 is primarily very poor, with only 15% living a normal life. The rest of the population is made up of men who work as laborers or are unemployed due to illiteracy; women who work as domestics in nearby houses; and children who work in local shops as soon as they are old enough. The average household comprises two parents and 6 to 8 children. These families can barely afford proper nutrition, let alone the expenses of education.

Children who are disabled, whether at birth or later incident, are taught few skills, even the basics of personal hygiene. They are often consigned to a life of begging on the streets.

Maryam Colony is also unique because its population is half Christian and half Muslim. S.A. Institute for Special Children was opened there in [year] to achieve several goals:

• Provide a free education to all children with special needs, and at very low cost to other students to create a future without poverty
• Teach children with severe disabilities self-care, knowledge and skills that can lead to their independence
• Integrate children with disabilities with other students to break down the stigmatizing that can occur
• Expose young children from different faiths to each other and let them learn that they are connected at the human level by studying and playing together

The educational package is free for special needs students, all others pay a small monthly fee of 10 to 15 PKR, or about 11 to 17 cents (US).

Funding and Management

The Maryam school has been sponsored by the ANC Foundation (USA) since 2009. Mrs. Naheed Talat is the school's volunteer principal and manager.

The city of Layyah lies along the banks of the Indus River in Punjab Province, Pakistan. The Layyah district was among the worst hit in Punjab by the record flooding of 2010, with up to 300,000 who lost most of their possessions, including their homes.

Layyah had a sizeable Hindu population before the partition with India that saw a large Hindu emigration to Panipat, in the state of Haryana, India. Today its total population is 1.1 million with most working as laborers or in dairy farming. Although there are several universities in the Layyah district, most of the residents are low income.

One out of 10 families in Layyah has a child with disabilities. Because they live in small, remote villages scattered throughout the district there had been no school available and accessible for these children with special needs. In 2011 S. A. Institute opened a school for special children in Layyah. In addition to providing them with a free education these special children also receive books, book bags, uniforms and school supplies, as well as transportation from their villages and back. The students range in age from 8 to 13 years.

S. A. Institute is piloting a school model in Layyah for children with different disabilities. Nine children are currently participating. Once a successful model is developed these small schools can be opened in additional similar locations.

Seminars for Parents

Children with disabilities and their mothers often receive harsh treatment in the rural sections of Pakistan. The children are a drain on family resources and never are able to leave home. S. A. Institute has begun holding seminars for parents to help them understand that their child's mental capacity and skills can be developed, but only by sending the child to school.

Parents also learn about the medical causes behind their child's disability and how to motivate the special child based on his interests. Parents are persuaded to integrate them with their other children to help them learn self-control and social skills, and to cooperate with teachers.

Teacher Training

Teachers undergo a course of training that exposes them to the key elements of special education, because hiring professional special education teachers is beyond the financial scope of the S.A. Foundation. To compensate, SAF produced a "Teaching Manual for Special Education," which contains all of the basic material teachers can use in teaching a child who has distinct special needs.

Additional training sessions are held to instruct teachers in various mental therapies and rehabilitation methods that can be used to stimulate the child's intellectual abilities.