Transformational Impact

The Teach For Pakistan model aims to create transformational impact – as a result of which one day, all
children in Pakistan will have access to an education that empowers them to pave their own life paths
and drive positive change. But what does it really take for a child’s life to be on a completely changed
trajectory? Through the two years of the Fellowship and in their work as Alumni, this is the question that
allows us as the Teach For Pakistan Fellows, Alumni and staff to remain grounded and aligned to our
mission.

A child born in limited resources has lesser opportunity than a child born in more resources.
Transformational impact, for us, is when a child born in limited resources, is able to have the same or
more choices and opportunities in life as compared to his/her peers in a higher-resource environment.
That is when this child’s life trajectory is changed and is no longer limited by inequity.

In the first leg of this journey, through the two year Fellowship, Fellows strive to significantly impact
their students’ learning outcomes, attitudinal growth and access to future opportunities to create this
kind of a transformational impact. The stories below are just a few glimpses of how our Fellows are
working towards these goals, every single day.

1. Mahrukh and Laila’s Story: The Power of Pink!

When 2014 Karachi Fellows Mahrukh and Laila first entered the classroom at the beginning of their
Fellowship, they knew they were up against the enormous challenge of shifting the mindsets on girls’
education. Their students in the Girls Primary and Secondary school held so much potential, yet the
roles that society ascribed them coupled with the disparity they were born in to mean that they would
most likely be trapped in a cycle of marginalization due to the simple fact of their gender. Most
importantly, they believed it to be limiting for their students’ own self-belief and drive to succeed.

So what did Mahrukh and Laila do to change this? They created a class anthem, linked with their
classroom goals to inspire and invest their students. They named it: the Power of Pink!

Every day, the 4th and 5th grade girls in this small, under-resourced school chant the Power of Pink at
the tops of their voices. The poem is placed above the chalkboard painted on to the chipped walls of the
dusty classroom. It is a bright reminder of the way forward.

“Lets’ pen this down,

We are college bound!

We have the power, how does that sound?

Fourth grade will rock

Rising to the top,

We are on the fast track and we can’t be stopped!

P is for pretty, P is for Pink

P is for the power that you and I bring.

Power to make our future bright,

Power to shine like stars at night,

We will speak and read in English and write,

Add, subtract, multiply and divide

You will see us rising to the top,

We are on the fast track and we can’t be stopped!”

Watch Mahrukh and Laila’s students recite the Power of Pink here.
 2. Working against the odds

When Fellows Fawad, Wajieha, Zain and Arham, placed in a Secondary School in Lahore, were told
that their school would be closed indefinitely as security measures demanded by the government
had not been undertaken, they were initially at a loss of what to do. Students had to sit for the fast
approaching board exams and were already behind due to an extended winter break.

The Fellows first worked with the school to find alternate solutions and resume their regular classes.
When all their efforts failed, they started holding lessons in makeshift classrooms in farmhouses!
And on days that were too cold and foggy, they held them in the houses of welcoming villagers who
agreed to let these dedicated teachers and students in to their homes. These Fellows embodied the
spirit of Teach For Pakistan. In the face of adversity, they pushed forward and found a way.

Here are some pictures of Fawad, Wajieha, Zain and Arham in their makeshift classrooms:
 3. Hina’s Story: learning through perspective

In 2013 Fellow Hina’s words, the Fellowship is a grueling process. Even though they are up against a
monstrous challenge, with the thought of giving up as a constant, nagging presence, Fellows experience
beautiful moments that remind them why the struggle is worth it. Moments in which they learn from
their students and grow in ways they hadn’t fathomed. Hina teaches Math and Science to Middle
School girls. Here, she narrates an experience from her classroom.

“One of my students had been absent from school, which caused me to find out why. I learned that her
family had been evicted from their home without notice, and were hunting around for a new place.
Once they found one, I went to visit. She was living in a building that was completely under construction.
I would never go inside that building in normal circumstances. Her mother opened the door, I stepped
inside. Upon her mother closing the door, I saw my student had practiced calculating the volume of a
cube on the back of the door. I had taught her this the day before.

As soon as I saw that it really changed my perspective about what can happen and how these kids feel
about education.”

The resilience of our students shines through despite their circumstances. If potential, effort and
commitment aren’t limited, what really are the factors are hold our students back? For Hina and other
Fellows, being able to dive deeper into this question has allowed them to move their students towards a
changed path of access and opportunities.