Overview of The "Najjat Trust" Non-profit Organization

Introduction

Najjat Trust is a non-profit organization. Founded in 1992, it has served the community and continues to do so without any discrimination. It generates its resources from within the community. These include financial as well as human resources. To make itself self-sustainable, the Najjat Trust has implemented such projects that not only meet the needs of the community but also generate sufficient funds to meet the projects’ operating expenses. As a matter of policy, the Trust does not seek government’s and other donor agencies financial support in the form of loans or grants. Najjat Trust provides many facilities for the needy people of the society. They provide free ambulances, funeral services, educational services, and food supplies to the needy people. They have a rehabilitation centre and old homes too.

Najjat Trust initially started working for 7-8 people, and now they are serving more than 2400 people, some are of rehabilitation, and some live in their old age homes. We talked to Miss Hajra Rasheed, she has a MPhil degree in clinical psychology from Foundation university. She has been working with different organization for 3 years. Miss Hajra joined Najjat trust 4 months back. She says that working with old age people is a very bittersweet experience, she feels very satisfied every day, after spending time with them, but she also feels sad when she sees that these people are abandoned by their families. Following are the few questions, which we asked her:

Q: Generally, elderly people suffer from diseases like Alzheimer, Dementia or Bipolar disorder. Do you think people who are here, suffer from these diseases more than the people who are normally living with their families?

Alzheimer is a chronic disease, in which a patient experiences short-term memory loss, if not treated timely, it leads to Dementia. Dementia is basically a brain disease which tends to decrease one’s ability to remember things and think, it also affects daily functioning of a person. Miss Hajra said that the primary reason, why these diseases are common is obviously, because of age, but, yes, almost all of the people living there in the old age home are patients of these diseases. She told us that many women here are unmarried, they never got married, and in our culture or society, everyone makes an issue out of it, however, if it’s not written in their fate, they won’t get married, because of societal pressure, they are affected a lot by it. So, women like these suffer from depression, as well as bipolar disorder. Patients suffering form bipolar disorder are made to do exercise on a daily basis, they also make sure that. Other old people who suffer from these diseases which causes the degeneration of the brain cells faster, as a result, slows down their thought processes and memory loss.

Q: Can you please describe what kind of bonding do people share over here, and if there’s conflict between them, how is it resolved?

Mostly 3 people live in one room, they are living with each other 24/7, that’s why they share a great bond of love and can easily empathize with their fellows, as all of them, more or less are going through the same thing life. They share their life stories with others. However, everyone thinks that their point of view is only correct, especially older peoples’ belief are even stronger, whatever they believe in. Or they just disagree with each other in general. So, that’s a big challenge for the team of Najjat Trust, the psychologist tries to find the reason, what is bothering, what’s making them react in a certain way with their fellow members. Miss Hajra stated that, in such cases, we make them do whatever they like to do (recreational activities), we ask them to read out their own poetry or their favourite verses of some other poet. This way, they forget about their dispute and get back on good terms with each other again.

Q: How are people who are new to the old home, react to such different environment?

Environmental Psychology is an interdisciplinary field that focuses on the interplay between individuals and their surroundings. It examines the way in which the natural environment and our built environments shape us as individuals. Adjustment in a new place for any individual, especially if they are old, is very difficult. They have low self esteem, in start. They are not accepting the fact that they are being rejected by their families. They emerged into the strangest looking classroom they had ever seen. But the organization gives them a warm welcome and takes care of them as they feel lonely and rejected by their families at a very sensitive age where they need their families support the most.

Q: How the old people who are severly depressed are handled?

The old people who are severely depressed are handled in the following ways:

• Through physical exercise, they feel fresh and fit. It gives them strength to fight with their current problems.
• Old home age workers and employees use different stress management techniques to relief the parent’s stress e. g. , by talking to them, by taking them for shopping, by giving them food they like to eat etc.
• By using yoga techniques, they relax their muscles.
• By understanding their emotions and feelings.
• By psychologically treating them well.

Q: How are people kept mentally engaged?

The simple and most powerful solution of this problem is that we should treat that person with love care and affection. The main reason of this is because of depression they face in their old age. And when they are abused by their loved one they felt that everyone in this world is fake and they start hating other with no reason. If we see this matter as a psychologist the initial step is that we should calm down their hypertension and try to understand their real matter and what they are thinking about and make a proper solution to resolve this matter. Also use some medicines to keep them calm and try to contact their childrens and arrange a meeting with then and inform the condition of their parents. People kept mentally engaged in the following ways:

• Males are allowed to go out for a walk.
• By conducting talking sessions between them where they talk about their favorite things and discuss each others feelings.
• Listening to music makes them feel better and happy.
• Groups are made of 4 to 5 people which play board games like chess etc.
• Old women are made bury by making them do small house chores.

Q: How is an organizations performance measured?

The old house manager should create a complaint box. And everyone should write their complaints about the management and some people who can’t read and write should discuss their problems directly with the manager in this equality should be maintained in addition to this the management should treat all the fellow of old house with equality and no favouritism should be encouraged.

Since it is not 100% possible to make elder people feel at home but the organization tries to get feed back once a month so that they can make amendments to whatever is not going well and according to the needs of the people living over there.

Q: If we look at this increasing trend of ‘old age homes’ in Pakistan, do you think it’s because we don’t take our deen seriously, or is it because of individualism is getting more common in our society with each passing day?

Miss Hajra says, that it’s because of bothdeen-wise, as well as worldy reasons, why do we think we will get into Jannah without even following what Lord’s commands. Not just individualism, just constantly in struggle of getting the best in life. There is just too much competition going on in everyone’s life, everyone thinks that life is a race and they need to get ahead. People who are often experiencing from inferiority complex, get embarrassed at their parents actions, they think that their parents are very backward and would not ‘fit in’ their circle of friends. Parents who gave and sacrificed their everything when they were younger, now they neither have a place for the same parents in their homes nor in their hearts.

Conclusion

Looking after of Parents: Looking after of parents is mandatory according to Islam with no option of not doing it. Our profit rather said that whatever high degree of care is taken to the extent that if you keep carrying your mother on shoulders, you cannot fulfil her rights. Not caring them properly is a great sin which is not forgivable as per Islam. There is a popular Hadeeth that says:The hadeeth is: "Al jannatu tahta aqdamil ummahat". This means paradise is at the foot of mothers.

Similarly there is another Hadeeth that says: “Rizar Rabbo firrizar walade wa sakhatohu fisakhtil walade” this means that Allah’s happiness lies in Father’s happiness & and his unhappiness in Father’s unhappiness. Therefore it is considered that a person who has old parents and he finds a chance to take good care of them is very lucky as he earns a lot of sawab and Allah’s happiness on doing this. However despite all these clear instructions about the rights of old parents and mandatory instruction to serve then with good care, some people do not obey the instruction. The tendency does exists that people maltreat their parents which is not at all desirable and according to Islam and a great sin.

In any case even if we think logically, the parents who take good care of children right from the beginning, feed them, educate them and play a big role in making their good future, is that right that if they go old they aren’t taken good care of. They do deserve a good care as did of the children for a long time. If one think different, he should think what if he gets old and his children don’t take good care of him. How would he feel then and if you do not demonstrate it to your children why should they take good care of you. So whatever way one thinks weather religiously, logically, socially or morally, parents do deserve good care. It is going to be a chain process as you do expect similar deeds. In western world and now being followed by some in our part of the world too, the parents aren’t given good respect and care. They are rather separated from them and shifted to “old Homes”where they live in a sort of old people hostels away from their family. Just try to think about the feelings of the parents in Old Homes. Those who took good care of their dependent children, are taken away from their family and same children when they become dependent and need care and company. In the western world, the life has got too tough. All the family members have to work and earn to be able to lead their life in a reasonable manner. Such a situation has lead them to admit their small kids to Nurseries and day care centers & the elder people to the Old houses. That is very unfortunate and unnatural and against the Islamic way of living.

However the good aspect is that instead of leaving parents unattended and without shelters, at least there are places developed as Old Houses where they have some care instead of nothing. There may be better standard of the old houses with better management and there would be some poorer standard too. If someone has to admit their elders to such houses they should ensure to admit them to better old houses.

People Living at Najat Trust: The Old Home – Najat Trust that was visited by our group was one of the better standard homes. The accommodation provided and the environment was good with good basic facilities. They are providing good food, recreational and basic medical facilities for the old people. They have common sitting areas with mounted TV sets where the old people can sit, watch TV and have chit chat to enjoy each other’s company. However whatever good facilities are there, the feelings of missing dear ones cannot be fulfilled and this aspect cannot be ignored. It is therefore obligatory on the family members that to visit the old house and meet there old people as frequently as possible and must try to get them back to their home as and when possible.