I was 18 months old when I was blighted by polio. I had a fever and my parents took me to the doctor who gave me an injection that did not help and my legs were paralyzed by polio.

My parents supported me at every stage of my life, but right from my schooling to small work at home I have suffered a lot. I could not go to school on my own.

Now at 42, I am married happily with five children. Despite my disability I work to provide better health and education to my children. I have penned down my feelings in the form of poetry and written over 3,000 poems on various topics including the life of a polio survivor.

I was born in 1972 and at that time there was no door to door vaccination neither were people aware about the significance of vaccination.

As a social mobilizer, I aim to reach out to all people living in my village to raise people’s awareness about the importance of vaccination. Due to my efforts the number of refusals have declined and people have started immunizing their children.

Inayat Shah
Social Mobilizer
Jamrod, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province