Something as simple as a small tea shop is changing the lives of differently- abled people in the Dadu District of Sindh.
Chai with a Cause
“Goongan Jo Stop” is what it is known as, translates to “The Stop for the deaf and mute”, and is a tea shop where the owner and entire staff are hearing and speech impaired. The waiters mention their families, and how their impairments did not affect their children and how they are glad to be a source of income for them, despite their disabilities.
Many of their regular customers are also deaf and mute and just about everyone communicates via sign language, needless to say the way a whole community comes together and finds alternate ways to get through the simple tasks a day holds, is really a sight that is beautiful and perhaps fascinating to behold.
The Mission?
The owner and waiters wanted to take on the storm that is the world, and did not want to resort to a life of begging, which is why they opened up the shop and are completely committed to running it day after day.
Many of the tea shop’s customers have made friends with each other and sit together and enjoy a hot cup of chai and why wouldn’t they? We are, after all, a chai loving nation!
This story was originally published in The Express Tribune
Reading about the accomplishments of the differently-abled people is always something that tugs on our heart strings, but did we stop to question ourselves, as to why there is a need to have an establishment in which only the deaf and mute are employed? Do we not make enough efforts to include them in places run by perfectly abled people? This is the story of just a small number of people who managed to turn their lives around, what about the millions of others? One of the waiters at “Goongan Jo Stop” was grateful for earning Rs 400 a day, that’s roughly $2.5, Can we imagine the life he leads? And how it would’ve been if he hadn’t changed it for himself? It’s an eye opener don’t you think?
