Students Visited MGQ Old Home

A Visit That Meant More than Words:As part of the three-week Reflection and Leadership crash course designed by the Department of General Education, JSPPL, NUST Baluchistan Campus students visited MGQ Old Home, Murree Road, Rawalpindi, on 12 August 2026. The visit was organized by the Centre for Civic and Community Engagement to give students an opportunity to experience community engagement beyond the classroom.
Accompanied by Ms. Sehrish Hamid Butt, Manager Community Engagement, JSPPL, and members of the NUST Community Service Club, the students spent four hours with the 15 residents of the Old Home. They played Ludo and cards, shared gifts, talked, laughed and, most importantly, gave their time and attention to people who often have very little of it from the outside world.
Every resident carried a different story—of family, relationships, separation, loneliness and life experiences. For the students, listening to these stories brought a deeper understanding of the realities that exist around us but often remain unseen.
At the end of the visit, the residents repeatedly asked, “When will you come again?” And the students had the same answer in their hearts—they wanted to return.
Perhaps that is what meaningful community engagement looks like. It is not always about doing something big. Sometimes, it is simply showing up, sitting beside someone, listening to them and making them feel remembered.
The students came to the Old Home as part of a course. They left with something that cannot be taught in a classroom—a deeper sense of empathy, compassion and humanity.