Group from Shabqadar, Peshawar
After Group Three, we extended our network to a city, a place which is supposed to be a terrorist affected village and people there aren't so fond of learning the art of reading and write. The women, for many reasons, can't go to local schools and the boys, as usual, would sneak out even if they are admitted in one. I visited and I decided to recruit a group of students from here which would be our Group Four for the Open Doors Literacy Project. After a week long of student-hunting-process, we managed to pull off the following students.
STUDENTS:
1. Dil Awaiz
2. Iqra
3. Lubna
4. Madeeha
5. Mehreen
6. Mehwish
7. Neelam
8. Sana
9. Tanzeela
ABOUT THE STUDENTS:
As the previous group, this group has all the girls too. The maximum age of the student was 13 and the rest were younger so the age difference wasn't a lot. We targeted a very important set of teenagers in the village. These students aren't very rich as the previous ones. Their income solely depends on the work their parents do in the fields/what they grow. Most of them are supposed to do their household chores and spending time with family. They are originally illiterate.
BEFORE THE SESSION:
Before the session, the students didn't have much going on in their lives. These are the girls who basically belong to the same neighbourhood, and their daily routine would to get up in the morning, do their household work while for the rest of the day, they'd go out to the nearby fields with their friends and talk to them/play traditional games. At this stage, they are not aware of what's happening around in the world. They don't know the techniques to run in the 21st century competition. They are not aware of the political situation of the country. They are too innocent to be trapped in their false net by the local politicians for the votes. They don't know why the country is going on a decline. Simply, they are not keeping up with the world. The question is WHY? And the answer is, just because they don't know how to read and write. They are illiterate. Open Doors Literacy Project enlightens their life
AFTER THE SESSION:
After the session, their lives changed dramatically. Now, they can read the newspapers and keep up with the world. They can read about various political skills and make sure they choose the right leader for themselves. They can read about other countries' situation and compare our country's. They can write letters, read the Quran's translation. In nutshell, they can do all they couldn't before. Their aims got defined and are quite positive in their approach now. Dil Awaiz, 11 years, says, "Now, I have a reason to wake up in the morning". Sana, 13 years, says, "I love the environment of the class. The teacher is always punctual and is very hard working. Thank you, ODLP". Neelam, 12 years, says, "I am excited for my life now. I want to be a nurse and serve the nation." All in all, they are very happy to be a part of the group. Their parents are happy to let their kids go and they are glad it has paid off.
GAYLE'S SKYPE SESSION WITH HASSAN AND STUDENTS:
When asked about generational differences, they said their parents had more experiences and teach good values like help others and don’t lie, so they should be obeyed. Their parents are supportive of their participation in ODLP. They were less critical than Group 3, perhaps because they’re younger—ranging from 9 to 13. They have many siblings, ranging from 2 to 8 brothers and sisters. I asked one girl with 2 sisters and no brothers if her parents wanted a boy. She said her mother doesn’t want a boy, but feels guilty when she sees families with sons. One of the girls has 1 5 sisters and 1 brother; her father is handicapped, so her 16-year-old brother supports the family with a store. He not to drop out after third grade in a government school for boys. There’s a private co-ed school near them, but their families can’t afford the tuition. Like Group 3, they’re not eager to get married. They think around 20 is a good age for a girl to marry.
They eat mainly legumes and meat is rare. Only one of the girls has a vegetable garden, as they mainly grow fruit trees. I want to explore creating a group garden as a school project. I asked what they do for fun: play cricket and soccer, draw, help their mothers with housework, and visit cousins.
When asked about why they wanted to learn to read and write, their responses were altruistic. They want to help their poor village, orphans, parents and country, and like Group 3, their particular concern is health care. A hospital is far from the village, so they would like to establish a clinic there and several of the girls would like to be doctors. I suggested to a friend who works for USAID in Pakistan that she look into establishing health care training for poor village girls. They also like making new friends in their class. Lubna, 10, would like to be a cultural ambassador to counter the influence of the terrorists. Medima, 10, said it gives her a reason to wake up, to be part of a team, establishing a foundation to increase their knowledge.
I asked both groups if they had questions for me. Group 3 asked about my daily life, my family, and my house—how many rooms. The one question from Group 4 was why do Americans target Pashtun people to kill in Pakistan? I said the drones were after the Taliban, who happen to be Pashtun tribe. I felt badly about the over 3,000 people who’ve been killed by drone attacks. I didn’t expect that President Obama would escalate the attacks. A girl said it was the same there, people vote for a politician and they do something you don’t want.
I asked what they think of their teacher. Both groups like that he calls them every night to remind them to come to class and study, brings them food, is very kind, and a strict teacher. They refer to him as older brother. It's very moving to hear the girls talk about the door opening to literacy. They're beautiful and thoughtful, unselfish and eager to be of service.
PICTURES FROM THE CLASS:
After Group Three, we extended our network to a city, a place which is supposed to be a terrorist affected village and people there aren't so fond of learning the art of reading and write. The women, for many reasons, can't go to local schools and the boys, as usual, would sneak out even if they are admitted in one. I visited and I decided to recruit a group of students from here which would be our Group Four for the Open Doors Literacy Project. After a week long of student-hunting-process, we managed to pull off the following students.
STUDENTS:
1. Dil Awaiz
2. Iqra
3. Lubna
4. Madeeha
5. Mehreen
6. Mehwish
7. Neelam
8. Sana
9. Tanzeela
ABOUT THE STUDENTS:
As the previous group, this group has all the girls too. The maximum age of the student was 13 and the rest were younger so the age difference wasn't a lot. We targeted a very important set of teenagers in the village. These students aren't very rich as the previous ones. Their income solely depends on the work their parents do in the fields/what they grow. Most of them are supposed to do their household chores and spending time with family. They are originally illiterate.
BEFORE THE SESSION:
Before the session, the students didn't have much going on in their lives. These are the girls who basically belong to the same neighbourhood, and their daily routine would to get up in the morning, do their household work while for the rest of the day, they'd go out to the nearby fields with their friends and talk to them/play traditional games. At this stage, they are not aware of what's happening around in the world. They don't know the techniques to run in the 21st century competition. They are not aware of the political situation of the country. They are too innocent to be trapped in their false net by the local politicians for the votes. They don't know why the country is going on a decline. Simply, they are not keeping up with the world. The question is WHY? And the answer is, just because they don't know how to read and write. They are illiterate. Open Doors Literacy Project enlightens their life
AFTER THE SESSION:
After the session, their lives changed dramatically. Now, they can read the newspapers and keep up with the world. They can read about various political skills and make sure they choose the right leader for themselves. They can read about other countries' situation and compare our country's. They can write letters, read the Quran's translation. In nutshell, they can do all they couldn't before. Their aims got defined and are quite positive in their approach now. Dil Awaiz, 11 years, says, "Now, I have a reason to wake up in the morning". Sana, 13 years, says, "I love the environment of the class. The teacher is always punctual and is very hard working. Thank you, ODLP". Neelam, 12 years, says, "I am excited for my life now. I want to be a nurse and serve the nation." All in all, they are very happy to be a part of the group. Their parents are happy to let their kids go and they are glad it has paid off.
GAYLE'S SKYPE SESSION WITH HASSAN AND STUDENTS:
When asked about generational differences, they said their parents had more experiences and teach good values like help others and don’t lie, so they should be obeyed. Their parents are supportive of their participation in ODLP. They were less critical than Group 3, perhaps because they’re younger—ranging from 9 to 13. They have many siblings, ranging from 2 to 8 brothers and sisters. I asked one girl with 2 sisters and no brothers if her parents wanted a boy. She said her mother doesn’t want a boy, but feels guilty when she sees families with sons. One of the girls has 1 5 sisters and 1 brother; her father is handicapped, so her 16-year-old brother supports the family with a store. He not to drop out after third grade in a government school for boys. There’s a private co-ed school near them, but their families can’t afford the tuition. Like Group 3, they’re not eager to get married. They think around 20 is a good age for a girl to marry.
They eat mainly legumes and meat is rare. Only one of the girls has a vegetable garden, as they mainly grow fruit trees. I want to explore creating a group garden as a school project. I asked what they do for fun: play cricket and soccer, draw, help their mothers with housework, and visit cousins.
When asked about why they wanted to learn to read and write, their responses were altruistic. They want to help their poor village, orphans, parents and country, and like Group 3, their particular concern is health care. A hospital is far from the village, so they would like to establish a clinic there and several of the girls would like to be doctors. I suggested to a friend who works for USAID in Pakistan that she look into establishing health care training for poor village girls. They also like making new friends in their class. Lubna, 10, would like to be a cultural ambassador to counter the influence of the terrorists. Medima, 10, said it gives her a reason to wake up, to be part of a team, establishing a foundation to increase their knowledge.
I asked both groups if they had questions for me. Group 3 asked about my daily life, my family, and my house—how many rooms. The one question from Group 4 was why do Americans target Pashtun people to kill in Pakistan? I said the drones were after the Taliban, who happen to be Pashtun tribe. I felt badly about the over 3,000 people who’ve been killed by drone attacks. I didn’t expect that President Obama would escalate the attacks. A girl said it was the same there, people vote for a politician and they do something you don’t want.
I asked what they think of their teacher. Both groups like that he calls them every night to remind them to come to class and study, brings them food, is very kind, and a strict teacher. They refer to him as older brother. It's very moving to hear the girls talk about the door opening to literacy. They're beautiful and thoughtful, unselfish and eager to be of service.
PICTURES FROM THE CLASS: