It is no easy task to pursue education in a country like Pakistan where education is considered a luxury for all children, but even more so for girls. The high costs associated with sending a child to school is one of the major barriers that stand in the way of a girl receiving education. Sadiqa is one such girl who had the mis-fortune to discontinue her studies and take care of her siblings when her father lost his job. She had to stay at home for almost half a year while her brother continued to go to school.

The Fatima Memorial Hospital team met with Sadiqa and inquired about her situation she said that when her father was able to find another job, she had expressed her desire to go back to school but her father wouldn’t let her go back because he said he couldn’t afford the educational costs of sending two children to school. The Fatima Memorial Hospital team requested Sadiqa’s parents to let her return to school, but her family especially her father relented. He said that as much as he would like to send her to school, it will be too much for his family to bear the cost of her uniform, textbooks, and bus fare. When the Fatima Memorial Hospital System team offered to take care of her finances and pay for the basic materials she would need to back to school, her family readily agreed to let her go back to school. Sadiqa said, “I can’t believe someone is willing to pay for my pens and books. I am very happy and feel like a free bird.”

Almost 5 months have passed and Sadiqa is regularly going to school. She wants to become a teacher when she grows up and teach other girls. She is a strong supporter of female education. Her class teacher, Uzma Naheed says that her academic performance is improving with each day.

Due to support of her teachers, Fatima Memorial Hospital and donors like you, we have been able to free this little bird and let her resume her flight.

Please join hands with us and give wings to many other birds like Sadiqa, who want to fly.

UN International Day for the Girl

The world celebrates UN International Day for the Girl today on 11th October, 2013.The fulfilment of girls’ right to education is first and foremost an obligation and moral imperative. There is also overwhelming evidence that girls’ education, especially at the secondary level, is a powerful transformative force for societies and girls themselves: it is the one consistent positive determinant of practically every desired development outcome, from reductions in mortality and fertility, to poverty reduction and equitable growth, to social norm change and democratization.

While there has been significant progress in improving girls’ access to education over the last two decades, many girls, particularly the most marginalized, continue to be deprived of this basic right. Girls in many countries are still unable to attend school and complete their education due to safety-related, financial, institutional and cultural barriers. Even when girls are in school, perceived low returns from poor quality of education, low aspirations, or household chores and other responsibilities keep them from attending school or from achieving adequate learning outcomes. The transformative potential for girls and societies promised through girls’ education is yet to be realized.

Recognizing the need for fresh and creative perspectives to propel girls’ education forward,we should play our part in voicing the girls' rights and the unique challenges girls face around the world. One great inspiration is Malala, who stood against all odds and played her little yet vital part.

Links:

• http://www.nurfoundation.org/ncrp