Educate 1,500 Children in Pakistan's Northern Area

A DIL Teacher, Rabia, shares this moving acocunt of a journey to education redefines what it means to be honorable in her culture. She explains how her education became important to her father, why he was so determined for her to continue her schooling, and finally, the honor education eventually brought to her family:

"My father’s story is interesting. He was never that much interested in educating his children. My elder sisters never went to school and though my brothers were in school, he would make them work in the fields. There was this one incident that completely changed his views on education. My father visited my brother’s school to socialize with the teachers who were also his friends.…As my father entered the school, all the teachers came running to congratulate him because my brother had received a 100 % result in mathematics. My father was so surprised and touched by this reception. He never thought that education could bring him so much respect. After that, he decided that he would educate his children."

"My sisters were too old to go to school but I was still young. My own uncles said nasty things about me going to a boys’ school. There were no girls’ school in our village at that time. But my father was a very strong person and did not care about what people said. Today the same brother and uncles who opposed my education, come to me to help their children with studies. People respect me wherever I go because I am a teacher; they say my father’s name with respect because I teach their children."