A Free School for Pakistani Girls SLUG: Pakistan free school REPORTER: Shadi Khan Saif DATE: 20.

.20 ! "#TRO: Less than ! $ercent of %o&en in Pakistan ha'e access to hi(her ed)cation. After $ri&ar* school fe&ale enrol&ent dro$s dra&aticall*. Ali+a ,rohi is doin( her -it to tr* and chan(e this. %ith a free school for (irls. Shadi Khan Saif %ent to see her school in a 'illa(e o)tside Karachi in Sindh Pro'ince. TE/T S0/ School at&o

212*ear2old Ali+a ,rohi started teachin( fo)r *ears a(o. At first3 it %as the children of her fa&il*4s &aids3 dri'ers and nannies. The %ork (oes o)t and the n)&-er of children t)rnin( )$ started to (o. S0/ 2 Ali+a office #o% she r)ns this free school 5Sa'in( the 0)t)re6 for o'er h)ndred (irls -et%een the a(e of 7 and 7. The school is located in the Eido Goth 8illa(e in Pakistan4s Sindh Pro'ince. ,)t it %as hard at first to con'ince $arents to send their da)(hters to her. Ali+a cli$ 90e&ale3 Urd):: 5"f so&eone is $ro'idin( free ed)cation to (irls the* s)s$ect so&ethin( &i(ht -e %ron( there3 so the 27 (irls %ho ca&e in the -e(innin( to learn sto$$ed co&in(.6 S)(ra ,i-i has t%o da)(hters at the school. She sa*s there %ere lots of r)&o)rs... S)(ra ,i-i cli$ 90e&ale3 Urd):: 5Peo$le in o)r 'illa(e sa* children %ill (et lost here3 that so&eone %ill kidna$ the&. " don4t tr)st the&. ,)t " told &* h)s-and that " %ant ed)cation for &* children. And "4& not (oin( to sto$ the& co&in( here.6 S0/ ! st)d*in( at school To hel$ con'ince $eo$le to send their children to the school3 Ali+a asked the hel$ of elder ;ai ;ar*a&.

;ai ;ar*a& cli$ 90e&ale3 Urd):: 5" told the& e'er*thin( is free here. <e %ent door to door %ith Ali+a. And no% thank God there are so &an* children st)d*in( here.6 02*ear2old st)dent Shaheen %as not (oin( to school -efore -eca)se her $arents co)ldn4t afford it. Shaheen cli$ 90e&ale3 Urd):: 5The staff and en'iron&ent here is (reat. " %ant to learn &ore and -eco&e a $olice ins$ector.6 S0/ 1 streets "n a traditional Pakistani societ*3 (irls4 ed)cation is not enco)ra(ed. "n r)ral areas3 (irls are often &arried off -elo% the a(e of 7. Less than ! $ercent of %o&en in Pakistan ha'e access to hi(her ed)cation. And after $ri&ar* school fe&ale enrol&ent dro$s dra&aticall*. S0/ 7 ;r Ra+ak talkin( 0)nds to set )$ the school first ca&e fro& Ali+a4s father. A-d)l Ra+ak %as the for&er director of the co)ntr*4s -i((est state2o%ned steel &ills. A-d)l Ra+ak cli$ 9;ale3 Urd):: 5"4'e seen in &* 'illa(e3 %o&en are in a 'er* %eak state. The $eo$le there consider the&sel'es $ro)d and -ra'e. ,)t " ask the&3 %ho are *o) -orn o)t fro&= So " tell the& to res$ect and lo'e the da)(hters like the* do %ith sons. These little (irls are (oin( to -eco&e &others of the nation.6 S0/ > social &edia ca&$ai(n Ali+a also started a f)nd raisin( ca&$ai(n on social &edia. One of the hel$in( hands is De$)t* ?o)ntr* Director at ?enter for "nternational Pri'ate Enter$rise3 @a&&ad SiddiA)i. SiddiA)i cli$ 9;ale3 Urd):: 5B0 $l)s (irls are s$onsored thro)(h 'ario)s social &edia ca&$ai(ns that %e4'e -een r)nnin(. The -ea)t* of all this is that there are $eo$le %ho& %e ha'e ne'er &et3 %e don4t kno% the&3 -)t it4s s)ch a no-le ca)se that the* ca&e for%ard and donated.6 S0/ Cschool 0or Ali+a3 -)ildin( self2confidence for these *o)n( (irls is her to$ $riorit*. Ali+a cli$ 2 90e&ale3 Urd):: 5<e %ant to (roo& the&. ;an* of the& -efore Doinin( the school %ere on the street -e((in(3 %orkin( as do&estic ser'ants or D)st $la*in( on the streets all the ti&e. The* %ere eE$osed to all sorts of a-)ses. <e %ant to $ro'ide the&

%ith (ood en'iron&ent and &ake the& -elie'e the* can ha'e a -ri(ht f)t)re )nlike their $oor $arents.6 0or Asia ?allin( " a& Shadi Khan Saif in Sindh Pakistan.