Nergis’ Story, Pakistan
Photo by UNHCR/D.A. Khan/2014.
“Helping people and bringing happiness back into broken lives is like an addiction…..you do it once, and then keep going for the rest of your life” says the dedicated and meticulous Nergis Ameer Khan – a Case Manager at UNHCR Pakistan’s partner agency ICMC.
The death of her father in 1998 was a turning point in Nergis’ life. Never having previously left the comfort of her home, the young Nergis decided to get a job in order to find solace and fill the vacuum created in her life after the death of her father.
She joined the Punjab Rural Support Programme in Lahore, Pakistan and visited a remote village for the first time in her life.
“That was an eye-opener for me; I forgot about my loss when I saw people dealing with even greater challenges. That was the moment that I decided what I want to do in life; helping other people until my last day,” said Nergis.
“John Holmes’s quote that ‘there is no exercise better for the heart than reaching down and lifting people up’ is my motto in life” she concluded.
“I owe my success to my mother who was a teacher and great friend. In the absence of my father, she managed to keep the family intact and support our education. Without her support and encouragement I would not have been able to face the world so bravely,” Nergis concludes.
Nergis Ameer Khan
Case Manager, International Catholic Migration Commission
Islamabad, Pakistan
