Your Zakat empowers 12,000 student leaders

Dear friend,

Hello! My name is Ushna and I recently completed my Fellowship with Teach For Pakistan. In 2021, I was placed to teach in a public school in Nilore with my co-Fellow, Ansa. We both entered the school with a clear vision - to work with our students to enable them to become confident and independent thinkers who can fight against all odds.

Stepping into the classroom, I saw that my 208 sixth- and seventh-graders were unable to write a simple sentence in English. Their literacy gap prevented them from using even the most basic resource they could access, their textbooks. The gap had to be bridged but we needed resources to get started.

The financial cushion of the Teach For Pakistan’s Zakat Fund was a catalyst. It allowed me to acquire daily practice worksheets and context-appropriate stories such as Malala’s Magic Pencil, which helped foster my students’ academic growth, creativity and self-confidence. We witnessed remarkable transformations in student literacy. Classroom engagement soared; students grew more comfortable with the language in textbooks, and began using English as a means of self-expression.

Gone were the days of merely memorizing curriculum stories and answers; they now yearned to convey the responses in their own words! Bursting with ideas, they eagerly penned them down as short stories beyond the confines of the classroom and curriculum. With their confidence and talent growing, we went to the next level to harness their creativity: a student-led magazine was conceptualized, the first of its kind in our school community. Together we named it, “Tehreer.”

To launch Tehreer, students participated in writing and digital literacy workshops to equip them with the skills to create their magazine. In a school where student engagement was low, we received over 100 stories for the magazine with 20 students leading the collection and digitalisation of it. These stories spanned from tales of their own lives to supernatural stories about the extraterrestrial! While we had initially budgeted for external editors, we soon realized that the children's writing pieces far exceeded our expectations, rendering additional editing services unnecessary.

On the 15th of May, 2023, the first edition of Tehreer was published. Students and parents were elated to see their words printed on paper and in their own hands. Tehreer captured the vision of a community for its children, and symbolized the hope that this vision can be realized.

Hear my student Habiba talk about Tehreer and the hope it exemplified for her and her peers. 

As the school works towards the second edition of Tehreer, I reflect on how this incredible journey has been facilitated by your donations. Your generous contribution ensured that the cost of basic resources did not become a barrier to my students’ education and - perhaps more importantly - their self-belief. Thank you for continuing to stand by us.

Warm Regards,

Ushna
‘21 Alumna

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The current economic climate has made it difficult for many to be hopeful, but we at Teach For Pakistan are sustained by your unwavering support. Your contributions are a reminder that we are not alone in this work, and provide Fellows like Ushna and Ansa the strength and conviction to do what they do best.

Last year, you enabled 9,700 students. This year, with growing scale, your contribution will support 12,000 students across 70 public schools.

Give your Zakat today.

Continue to support the education movement nurturing loving, thinking, and engaged citizens.