Gulshan Kavarana

Selfless, kind, motivating, inspiring, calm and reassuring – these are just a few of the adjectives people use to describe Gulshan Kavarana, who has been in the UAE for the last 20 years. She is the founding member of SFS – Special Families Support group – a support group for families with children with special needs and an art mentor at Mawaheb, an art studio for adults with special needs.

The SFS is a support group where everyone is accepted, loved and respected. It was formed in 1998 by Gulshan out of what she describes as “frustration and desperation”. Gulshan’s younger daughter Zara, born in 1997, was diagnosed with Dravets Syndrome (she has epilepsy and experiences occasional seizures). Gulshan desperately started seeking help and advice from other parents in similar situations as she was a new resident of Dubai then. “I searched all over the internet for some support forum or group in the UAE but was left stranded. It then dawned on me, if I can’t find what I need I should go out and get what I need. So out of pure love for my child and the willingness to understand and cope with her condition, the SFS group was born, with six families in my living room,” she told Khaleej Times.

Today, the SFS has grown from a small nuclear family with a large extended family with over 500 families and has members from as many as five different countries. “It truly is so amazing that Zara, without saying a word has inspired such change, support and encouragement for so many families with children with disabilities,” she adds.

The aim of the group is integrating families with and without individuals with disabilities and bringing about a larger understanding in society. SFS organises outings, fashion shows, dance performances, parties and many other fun events, and encourages all to enjoy the simple pleasures of life that sometimes get taken for granted. “Here at SFS, we do ensure one thing for sure, that everyone goes home with a smile on their face, the parents go home realising that they are not alone, the volunteers go home feeling fulfilled as they have done something meaningful and the children go home feeling happy and satisfied, just being accepted for who they are. They deserve the best and that’s exactly what we give them!”

Seven years back Gulshan took up her first job at Mawaheb, as an art teacher for adults with disabilities. “At Mawaheb, we have artists from the age of 16 to 60. It is through art that we teach them life skills.

Drawing parallels between life and canvas, Gulshan said our life is like a blank canvas. “Just like when we get a blank canvas, we first plan what we will use on it – paints or acrylic, similarly in your life you have to make a plan and chart out a way. Art acts as a medium of self-expression for the determined ones as they can express themselves freely, feel confident, successful and self-sufficient. I teach them that it’s okay to make mistakes, you can paint over it and learn from your mistakes so that you don’t repeat them. At Mawaheb, we teach the determined ones to be independent and we want the community to see these individuals as artists and not as people with disabilities,” she said.

Giving takes different forms for different people. Gulshan believes in giving back to the society because she feels she has a lot to give in terms of sharing her talent and skills.

“Taking out time for the determined ones gives me inexplicable happiness and peace and the reason I give is because I get so much in return. I learn new lessons every day. And I feel that if I can give back by helping someone else’s child too then why not,” she said.