Gilgit Baltistan’s Goodwill Movement is a nonprofit organization that works for the betterment of disabled people in society. GBGM has tried to work on broader objectives such as skills development, poverty alleviation, and education over the last two years.
This article focuses on poverty alleviation. The World Health Organisation defines poverty in two ways: absolute vs. relative. In Gilgit-Baltistan, disabled people are living in a dire crisis. Earning less than the National Minimum Wage, per se, they can not afford anything for their families. The GBGM is an organization that has supported disabled people in the past through Facebook Fundraisers. Still, poverty must be addressed at the agency and government levels, which we hope to achieve through our skills development center.
We want as a society to ensure that all disabled individuals in the coming years do not have to beg but rather create opportunities for themselves in which they can support the poorest communities. More than 50% of the disabled community is suffering from social exclusion. No future pathways are developed for primary students. Those whose families are privileged can only afford this.Thus the disabled community needs support through skills development, individual support, or social awareness.
The GBGM will work with any partner on these projects. Still, it must be remembered that even CM Khurshid last year states that GB currently does not have the resources to manage disaster relief, build human capacity, or alleviate poverty. Therefore we as individuals have to come together to support the disabled community.
