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Wednesday, August 19, 2009

Disabled Welfare Association (DWA)


Association's Introduction

We are please to introduce our organization M/s Disabled Welfare Association (DWA) situated in the heart of Karachi on M. A. Jinnah Road at No.42 Al-Amna Plaza, duly headed by a team of truly committed and devoted individuals, DWA has come a long way since its establishment in 2000. Practically all those involved with DWA are true workers of the society, who have chosen this difficult path on their own to fight for the various causes and welfare of the disabled community, not only in our beloved city of Karachi, but are now on our way of expanding our services to other towns and cities of Sindh.

With Mr. Jawed Raees as DWA's founder President, and his team of committed volunteers, the DWA has made significant strides in promoting, raising as well as accomplishing at least some of the goals, for which the DWA was first established some 6 years ago.

Our Aim is to build “inclusive, barrier free and right base society” for all (UNESCAPE)

Our Objectives May we point out that some of the most important objectives and goals which we have chosen to pursue for the benefit and welfare of the disabled community include:

Obtain due rights of Persons with Disabilities (PWDs)
Promote Independent Life concept in PWDs
Working for accessible environment such as ramps, accessible transport etc.,
Poverty alleviation by promoting self-employment, financial support, and loans
Work for inclusive society by participating mainstream events
Provide medical and physical rehabilitation
Provision of assistive devices such as wheelchairs, tricycle, crotches, and accessible motor bikes
Expanding recreation and sport facilities for PWDs
Accomplishments: In our endeavors to fight and raise vital and crucial issues pertaining to the disabled community, the Disabled Welfare Association (DWA) has Alhamdo-Lillah made significant accomplishments, that you can observe in the our activites section.

Founder & President of DWA Mr. Javed Rais
Mr. Javed Rais was born in 1976 in Tando Adam district Sanghar a small town of sindh. He contacted with Polio on very early age but with exercises and self confidence he can walk without any assistive device. At the age of 7 year he moved to Karachi with his family and joined Fatima primary school. Later he moved to boys’ secondary school, New Area and passed his F.A exams from Urdu college in 1994.

Being from a middle class family, rural background and having congenital deformity of one limb he experienced difficulties faced by a person with disability. This makes him realize that there are a lot to do for the betterment in the life of disabled persons. In child hood he liked to take part in social activites, and was always eager to extend a little helping hands to support others.

He observed that most of the organizations working for disabled persons are managed by non-disabled persons, and their base for work is “pity for disabled persons”. However being a disabled person Mr. Javed never likes this practice and he knows the hidden talent of disabled persons, and he believe on equal right and independent life for disabled persons.

From 1994 till 1999 he keeps himself busy in social work at individual level. As he was an active social worker, many and many disabled persons were contacting him for support, and he realized that he can not do a lot at individual level, and he needs a team to work for persons with disabilities. Therefore in 2000 he established an organization for the welfare of PWDs and named it Disabled Welfare Association (DWA). As believing in Impowerment of PWDs he got success to obtain government job at NADRA in 1999. In 2004 he decided to dedicate his life for disability movement and resigned from the government job and became a full time comarade of disability movement.

He experienced life as a middle class person with disability. He traveled in public transport, and he faced the behavior of bus drivers and mainstream society in public transport. Since then moving around independently and with ease was his dream.

Under the leadership of Mr. Javed Rais DWA become very popular in Karachi city, and PWDs from rural Sindh also start contacting him. In 2003 he registered DWA with social welfare department and get tax exempted from income tax. Now he expands his horizon to rural Sindh Hyderabad, Nawabshah, Larkana, Sanghar, Mirpurkhas etc. His tireless efforts gave a new hope to disabled persons in all over Sindh.

DWA was working well, from annual giveaways in the form of eatables, clothing, cash, wheel-chairs, medicines, to the regular awareness rising programs, walks, demonstration, and many other activities. But for Mr. Javed Rais, these things though were great but not a “life chaining”, his dream of “moving around independently and with ease” was still a dream and he knows without having independency in mobility physically challenged persons can not achieve a lot.

He often thinks about his dream, he done a personal research too that proved mobility is the most import need of physically challenged persons. DWA was raising fast but still lack of funds not allows it to launch any expensive project. In 2005 World Bank announce support for innovative project for disabled persons. And Mr. Rais submitted his dream project “mobility” with the hope to win grant from World Bank, and the dream come true when his project got selected for grant out of 220 applied projects.

Now Mr. Javed Rais is happily working hard for his dream project. His specially designed “accessible motorbike” is mobilizing the physically challenged persons, enabling the disabled, and his dream of moving around independently and with ease become true, not only for himself but for many other PWDs who he provided accessible bike. These accessible bikes not only let them move independently but also bringing a mean of earning as many of them use it for business or for self-employment activities.

Today Mr. Javed’s name is equally known in the NGOs’ circle of Pakistan, as well as in International NGOs. And his organization has become a trusted NGO just in a few years. This show his ability, dedication and leadership. Now he is working for “total independent life”, he sighted a new dream of equality, he demand equal right not pity for persons with disabilities. You can watch him on various TV channels, and in news papers with PWDs members, fighting for rights of PWDs.

We at the DWA pray for continuous good health and success for our president Mr. Javed’s endeavors and his projects for the community of disabled persons. Ameen

You can contact him at or call him on his cell number # 03009277998 he is always available for the cause of disabled persons.

Comments from Ms. Rehana Saif, EDO community development City District Govt. Karachi
"I am very much inspired and admire the efforts of the office bearers of Disabled welfare Association as they are working and enabling the disabled persons, making them mobile to engage them to get the earning themselves and their families. I on behalf of CDGK ensure to help and coordinate in this struggle".