Pakistani-British rail worker Rizwan Javed, who has saved 29 people from taking their own lives since 2015, has been appointed as a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE), Geo’s Murtaza Ali Shah reported.
Rizwan Javed, from Leyton in East London, works for the MTR Elizabeth line at Ealing Broadway and Paddington stations. He joined the railway around 10 years ago and at the start of his career, he attended the Samaritans training course.
Talking to the Geo News, Rizwan said, “I am thankful to Allah for this honour. It’s all due to the prayers of my parents that I have been recognised in the King’s New Year’s Honours List. It’s a huge honour for me that my work in the mental health area has been recognised this way.”
He has been instrumental in saving several lives at the platform during the course of his work by being alert and approaching vulnerable individuals in weak moments.
He gave credit to his training at Samaritans, “With the Samaritans, I learned how to identify vulnerable people, what sort of conversations to have with them, how to engage them, how to look out, and how to take them to the point of safety.”
Within the first week after starting his railway job, Javed helped stop someone from taking their own life.
Recalling an incident Rizwan shared that in one instance he talked to a girl in her mid-20s after identifying that she needed help. “A few days later, she came running to me at the station and gave me a big hug. She said she wouldn’t be alive today if I had not talked to her that night and if I had not convinced her that life was worth living. That was very emotional and rewarding.”
He said people are not educated about mental health issues and these things create an impact.
He told Geo News that he believes that Allah will always reward him for helping others and being there for those who have no one else to talk to them or undergoing. He credited his Pakistani parents for teaching him from a young age the importance of being helpful and charitable.
He said: “My parents always taught me how to be a good and useful citizen, how to make a positive difference.”
Javed and his parents were thrilled when they received the government letter telling him he was being appointed MBE for his services.
MBE is the third highest ranking Order of the British Empire level (excluding a knighthood/damehood), behind Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE), and then Officer of the Order of British Empire (OBE).
