By Zehra Ali | Manager of Programs
Arooj is a teenager from Lahore with big dreams. A high achiever and a go-getter, she finished our accelerated primary school program near the top of her class. Her neighbours, relataives and friends’ parents relate stories of how they would motivate their children to follow Arooj’s example and study hard. Buoyed by her performance and specially the praise from her teachers, Arooj’s parents were excited to see their daughter continue to shine in school so they could see her realise her dream of becoming a doctor.
Unfortunately, progressing to secondary school was not that straightforward. Arooj’s father was a daily laborer and did not have a stable income. On a good month, where he was lucky to find enough work, he would earn up to PKR 11,000, which was hardly enough to feed his family of six. Sending Arooj to secondary school would impose a very heavy burden on the family’s finances.
Arooj got selected for our Secondary Students Scholarship program, which covers the cost of education up to matriculation for the most promising students. Arooj’s parents were elated. She is now a 9th Grade student at the Allama Iqbal Public High School in Lahore where she continues to be a high performing student.
In addition, she has proven to be an incredible support to her family – she contributes to the household income by making artificial jewelry for sale. We were stunned to see the beautiful masterpieces she was creating at home. Arooj told our team that jewelry making doesn’t seem like work to her at all. In fact she finds it a good stress reliever when she gets tired from doing her homework.
The budding artist is already supporting her family financially at the age of seventeen but she has big plans for her future. She aspires to become a doctor and Zindagi Trust’s Secondary School Scholarship for Top Graduates is helping her achieve her dream. In an interview with our team, Arooj told us that the plight of the people around her who cannot afford healthcare motivates her to take action to bring betterment to her community.
Arooj’s Message:
“I want to become a doctor when I grow up because I want to help poor families like ours who suffer because they can’t afford good treatment. I will not charge them a penny because access to healthcare is everyone’s right”.
Donate today to support superheroes like Arooj who are passionate to acquire education and ready to take their community’s future in their own hands.
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