Zara Khalid a graduate of Gareeba school is now a KG teacher at the school.
When DIL opened a school in Gareeba Village in 2002, only 20% of its male population had received 5 to 10 years of schooling, and just six girls—including Nusrat Bibi, the school’s head teacher—had completed high school. The majority of the community was resentful; they feared DIL would create a sociocultural imbalance by changing girls’ attitudes and giving them a voice. In the eyes of the community, girls were destined to only do household chores, and spending money on their education was considered wasteful.
According to Nusrat, “When the school was established, there were only 16 girls. Today the school’s enrollment has reached 225 and 150 girls have already graduated from high school; many have gone on to study further. Now every child in my village is benefiting from our DIL School.”
Parents report a major shift in their children’s mannerisms, interactions with others and communication skills. “Our children are teaching us about cleanliness and its impact on health; they even launched a village-wide campaign to keep the environment clean,” Waheed Khan explained.
“They tell us that using abusive language and having domestic conflicts are socially unacceptable behaviors. Our children have introduced us to technology and have taught us how to use mobile phones and computers. They want us to move with the times so we are not left behind. When we meet with relatives living in the city, we hold our heads high—this is because our children are getting a quality education.
A community member explains, “I am an illiterate person, but have enrolled my kids in DIL School Gareeba, where they are getting a quality education. I know this because my son was admitted to Rawalpindi College and stood second in his class. This happened because of the hard work of the school principal and teachers at Gareeba School.”
On behalf of DIL’s 24,000 students, thank you for your continued support. Call 051-8449181-3 to make a donation or visit www.dilpakistan.org – these children are counting on us to make their dreams come true!
