By Asim Baig (YES 2011-2012, Pakistan, placed by ACES in Sioux Falls, SD)

My name is Asim, and I am a Business Executive at Retailo Pakistan, an online marketplace. But in my free time, I’m still an active alumnus. 

I participated in the YES program during the 2011-2012 school year. During the program, I gained a global perspective by interacting with people from all around the world. I experienced the culture of the United States and made great friends. Living with my host family, the Philippes, was a wonderful and unforgettable experience. The program not only gave me a rich cultural experience; it also equipped me with leadership and communication skills, including through enhancement activities organized by my placement organization, ACES. After coming home from the U.S., I felt like a completely different person, more aware of the world, my community, the importance of peace and harmony. 

In Pakistan’s ongoing process of development, people with disabilities (PWDs) are often forgotten. The country aims to develop social welfare programs to assist senior citizens and youth with disabilities, but this goal seems to be far from realization.

One stigma associated with PWDs is that they cannot participate in sports. There are hundreds of events each year for students without disabilities, including camps, workshops, festivals, and sports events, but I have yet to hear of one for students with disabilities.

Therefore, with YES Alumni Grant funding, my project team and I organized a four-day sports and recreation festival for 150 youth with disabilities between the ages of 8 to 15 from Gilgit-Baltistan. The students engaged in recreational activities, such as music and drawing, as well as sports, including cricket, soccer, volleyball, badminton, and tug of war. This project helped us to spread joy and smiles on the beautiful faces of these children by giving them an opportunity to participate in an event that is quite rare for them. 

To understand the impact of this project, we evaluated that 70% of the students were willing to try physical sports and, of those that did not, 20% actively engaged in the other activities, like drawing and music. 100% of the teachers and school administrators expressed their appreciation and willingness to participate in future projects by YES alumni and requested for more projects of this kind.

I am hopeful this project helped these children by supporting their mental health and working to remove stigma. The students truly enjoyed themselves during the sports and activities. I plan to conduct more activities in these schools with our dedicated trainers, hopefully with continued partnership with local organizations to amplify our impact.

This project was not only benefited the students, but it also strengthened my leadership, management skills and infused me with the spirit of teamwork. Having a team of people with diverse educational and professional backgrounds is so incredibly valuable. I also grew by having to navigate the challenges of COVID-19. The project was originally supposed to take place in 2020 but had to be continually postponed until 2022 due to lockdowns, school closings, and other local restrictions. 

This project was made possible by the U.S. Department of State, which empowers YES alumni to give back and organize their own prestigious youth programs. We extend our utmost gratitude to the administrators and teachers of the schools for students with disabilities in Gilgit. I’d especially like to thank trainer Zafar Ullah. We greatly appreciate the whole team of local partner organizations for their tireless effort throughout the project. Finally, I must note that the dedication of the project volunteers, the public support, and the students' participation was vital to making this project a huge success.