On 7th February 2025, my colleague and I made our way to Dil Muhammad Secondary School located in Orangi Town, Karachi. An area we have rarely heard about and never been to before. It was strange since it was part of our very own city. Our tensions grew stronger when we tried booking a cab but could not find any due to lack of service in that area. After numerous failed attempts, we made a bold decision to drive by our own selves. On our way, we realized and felt deeply that the connection between two areas of a bustling metropolis was lost! The ride was overwhelming to say the least because it was long and filled with intimidate sense of unknowingness. When we entered Katchi Abadi, we realized that we were close to our destination, but it was scary because we started feeling like outsiders. As two girls navigating in this part of the city, we were even stared at by a few individuals. It took strength and courage, but we finally made it to the school where we were met with a warm welcome.  
 
Our session was on emotional awareness in the body and the importance of understanding and recognizing emotions. The activity was to identify feelings in the body and map them out through art. The session included mothers of students studying at the Dil Muhammad school. As we walked in, they welcomed us with open arms and expressed gratitude to us for taking time out for them. We also thanked them for their patience. 

As the session started, the initial discussion was quite insightful, and the mothers talked about their current head spaces and acknowledging the stresses in their lives. They were worried that the cooking gas would be cut off for the rest of the day, preventing them from preparing meals for their families at lunchtime. Despite this concern, the mothers came for this session and were deeply involved in it. They explored how sensations influence emotions and feelings, recognizing that each individual experiences them differently.

One of the women even went ahead to share how she escapes her husband’s controlling attitude to enjoy life to its fullest. She rides his motorbike and plays cricket with the neighborhood kids in secret, while also wishing the same for her daughter. She also talked about how she embeds positivity in her daughter’s and introduces the perspective to do whatever one wants in life, despite all the problems. She proclaims,

“problems are part of life, and they never end!”

Few mothers shared that they joined us to improve their own understanding of mental health as the students of psychology. The remaining were either caretakers by profession or took up that role at home and understood the importance of self-preservation as caretakers. A few of the women also expressed their desire to bring their family members to the wellbeing sessions as they thought it to be important for their wellbeing.

Each participant, filled with intense feelings, started sharing their artwork and expressed it as much as they wanted to. As we concluded our day, there was an immense sense of gratitude and appreciation from mothers. One of the mothers even chimed in and said that "we mothers are usually never appreciated!" Handshakes turned into hugs, goodbyes turned into "see you again" and we left looking forward to more such impactful visits <3