Increase Girls' Access to Education in Pakistan

Dear Supporter of Pakistan Project at Girls Education International,

We, here at Girls Education International, want to wish you a fantastic, fun, and rewarding holiday season with your friends and family. We have few updates from the field, filled with mostly encouraging news (with some somber notes as well).

The most recent report from the Chakwal district in Pakistan where due to your generous support, the project sends 76 girls to school, reported that 66 out of 76 of the students appeared for their annual examination. Approximately 80% of them passed the exams, with few still waiting for their results and others preparing to re-take the exams as needed. We are excited and encouraged by the girls’ progress.

During this reporting period, the project unfortunately faced few challenges as well. Predominantly the challenges involved pressures that the students receive from their families to leave school for the purpose of arranged marriage. Handful of our students were victims of this situation and were forced to drop out of school. Statistics show that 14 million girls in the world under 18 will be married just this year, that’s 38 thousand in one day, or 13 girls in the last 30 seconds (UNFPA, 2012). #1 cause of death for girls 15-19 years of age is in childbirth, not to mention the quality of life, prospect of employment and chances of their children receiving an education as well. While we cannot interfere with families and don’t wish to untangle deep woven traditions and customs of the region, we do know that every time we educate another young woman, the chances of her pressuring her own child for early marriage decreases drastically, as well as she is much more likely to encourage education for her own children.

In this season of giving we just want you to know the direct affect that your support has on those young women. It is long-lived and permanent in their lives. Every dollar that you continue to give to this low overhead organization will continue to have tremendous benefits in their lives and we can’t thank you enough for your generosity.

Thank you for your continuous support,

Tamrika Khvtisiashvili

Pakistan Project Manager

• Flyer_Girls_Ed_Pakistan.pdf (PDF)
  

Dear Pakistan Project Supporters,

As the new academic year begins and the students enter the classrooms again, our gratitude goes out to all of our Girl's Education International supporters that make so many girls' dreams in Pakistan turn into reality. $10 support covers transportation for one student for a full month. Having lived in Saudi Arabia, I am diligently cognisent of the role the tranportation or access to it can play for women. While there are numerous obstacles that women face in gaining education, having an ability to physically get to school is a basic need. $80 covers all expenses for four students for a month, while $240 covers all expenses for one student for a full year. The benefit the girls get from a year of education goes beyond the subjects they study. Although the knowledge they gain will hopefully help them secure jobs in the future, the daily skills they learn such as self-reliance, colaboration and critical thinkings will guide them in all spheres of their lives. Couple months down the line, we will update you with their academic progress but meanwhile we wanted to thank all of you that have made this possible.

With much gratitude,

Tamrika