Transforming Grief into Giving, in the Traumatic Wake of Losing a Child

On Monday, July 9, 2018, Washington D.C. residents, attorney Salmah Yasmeen Rizvi and anthropologist Saquib Ali Usman, were shocked and grief-stricken when their healthy firstborn child, Idris (8 pounds, 7 ounces, and 22 inches) suddenly passed away with no certain medical cause in sight. The mother endured a 40-hour near-death stillbirth delivery—a grave yet surprisingly common public health crisis, riddled with silencing, confusion, and taboo. In a courageous effort to therapeutically grow from the trauma, tackle the stigma, and firmly establish their son’s legacy, the couple hopes to construct the “Idris School for Blind and Sighted Children” in Dali Gimba, Mauritania. The loss of their son transformed their lens on life, death, and various forms of existing. On their path to spiritual healing, they discovered particular insight from the unique and unseen vantage points of the blind.

The Blind-Inclusive Community, Dali Gimba

Dali Gimba – a remote farming commune over a thousand kilometers away from the capital of Mauritania and accessible only by unpaved dirt roads – houses an incredible community where nearly half the inhabitants are blind from birth. Their blindness also has no certain medical cause, yet is not stigmatized or in need of remedy, but is rather seen as a source of strength in the society. Some blind adults are celebrated for their miraculous ability to find sites of underwater wells in the arid Saharan hinterlands, while blind children have honed in on their impeccable listening and memorization skills. Displaying profound disability inclusion, the sighted members of the community honor, respect, and learn from the blind members in a mutually beneficial social structure. Day in and day out, boys and girls in the village sit outside near the tents of genius blind teachers, learning from them through traditional oral instruction. Now, at the request and collaboration of these local villagers, the couple plans to facilitate the construction of a school to purely house the infrastructure of learning which already exists, in a manner that is sustainable, culturally-sensitive, and environmentally friendly.

Funding Blind & Sighted Children's Learning

The couple is now raising awareness and seeking $20,000 in public support to help fund the project, which they will personally oversee until its projected completion by Spring 2019. These funds will help to build one lecture hall, two adjacent classrooms for student study, and two bathrooms – all designed in the Mauritanian village style.  Funds will also support solar panels, renewable school supplies, traditional furniture, books, and audio equipment to help record texts for blind students. Upon permission, the couple will feature donors names on a plaque in the school. This project aims to benefit the incredible blind-inclusive education model built by the Dali Gimba community. While their child, Idris, is no longer here on earth, the couple hopes that his legacy will help to serve other communities that are gifted in ways not always seen by the naked eye.

​