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AABRAR

3/4/2002

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Afghan Amputees Cyclist Group Based in Pakistan

By Eric Beauchemin, 01 December 2000


The Afghan Amputee Bicyclists for Rehabilitation and Recreation, AABRAR, was
set up in 1992 in Jalalabad, a city in eastern Afghanistan. It has trained
over 2000 disabled people to ride a bike, mostly mine and polio victims,
thereby making them mobile and transforming their lives.


The AABRAR director, Dr. Abdul Baseer, came up with the idea when he was
working in Peshawar, a city in neighbouring Pakistan, where many Afghans
fled during the civil war. I used to work in a hospital which treated many
war and landmine victims. One day on my way to work, I noticed a Pakistani
man who had lost his leg in a car accident. We became acquainted. He was
working as a tailor's assistant, but then he quit his job because he was
earning 800 Rupees a month and he had to spend 600 Rupees on rickshaws to
get to work.


Origins

Dr. Baseer's friend wasn't able to find another job, and he eventually
started taking hashish and then heroin. He died a year later of an overdose,
leaving his destitute wife and their 7 children behind. This got me
thinking, says Dr. Baseer. I knew there were 800,000 disabled people in
Afghanistan. If they found jobs but couldn't get to work because of
transport problems, they might end up like my friend. So I found two
disabled Afghans in the hospital, and I taught them to ride a bicycle.
Within three weeks, they were riding their bikes without any trouble.


Improvements

AABRAR's rehabilitation programme for children lasts three to six weeks,
depending on the severity of the disability. The programme, which is funded
by UNICEF, involves a doctor, a physiotherapist and a bicycle trainer. The
children stay at the AABRAR hostel and receive full lodging. They also
follow literacy classes and are taught skills, such as making paper flowers,
which AABRAR then sells. At the end of the programme, the children are sent
home with a bicycle as well as textbooks to be able to continue their
education. The project makes an enormous difference in the child's lives,
says Dr. Baseer. They were isolated, just lying at home. But when they
become mobile, they can go to school, the bazaar and entertainment places.
They can enjoy life. You know, cycling is something enjoyable, especially
for disabled people.


AABRAR organises a bicycle race every year to mark the International Day of
the Disabled. AABRAR also sent children and adults to participate in the
Atlanta Paralympics in 1996. This year, however, they weren't able to send
anyone to the Sydney Paralympics. According to Dr. Baseer, we cannot pay
the membership fees of $400 a year. I feel confused about this. We have so
many problems in this country, like drought, poverty, lack of education,
disabilities. If Afghans can take part in the Paralympics, they can at least
share their experiences and learn from each other. Now they are thinking
that they are only isolated.


AABRAR

c/o KJRC Compound

P.O. Box 782

University Town

Peshawar

Pakistan

Tel. +92-91-844078

Email: <Email Address Redacted>