Support a School in Pakistan

Dear Supporter,

You may know about the traditional school program which you have supported with your generosity. In this update I would like to share about a program which you may not know about that is rapidly scaling.

Nearly two decades ago, we made a decision based on the desires of some of the most important members of our community- the mothers of our students. They didn’t have the chance at an education when they were younger, but, seeing their children learn, they decided that they too wanted to make up for some of what they missed.

In response, we created our women’s adult literacy program, Aagahi, or “upwards.” The idea was to use existing infrastructure, either our schools or community homes, and teach women functional literacy and numeracy skills.

Each Aagahi course features one trained teacher with up to 20 learners in daily 2-hour classes over a 3-month period. There are four Urdu books covering letter recognition and formation, sentence writing, English alphabets, arithmetic, health, hygiene, and financial literacy.

Fast forward to today and this program has grown from a small pilot to a movement. This winter we just crossed 200,000 learners!! Over 50,000 women per year now enroll in this program.

The best way to describe the change created by Aagahi is with the story of one of our tireless learners, Mona (name changed for safeguarding).

“My husband remains out at sea for weeks on end. Every morning, after sending my kids off to school, I head out to the local factory to peel shrimp,” says Mona. Most of the time, she joins her learning sessions right after work. “It is a struggle to manage, but it is worth the effort. Once, I had to take my son for a check-up at the clinic and I could not even read the number written on the token issued to me. That was a wake up-call for me.”

Today, Mona has learned to not only read and write, but compile grocery lists and do basic budget-making for household. Mona's experience is echoed by her fellow learners, who all share stories of progress and achievement with great pride.

Over time, Aagahi has gained recognition for its excellence. In 2021, it was recognized as a “Best Practice Honoree” by the Library of Congress Literacy Awards and in 2017 it won the UNESCO Confucious Prize for Literacy.

And, one last thing about Aagahi. How cost effective it is. I frequently ask people how much they think it costs to teach someone how to read, write, and do arithmetic. I get a range of answers. With Aagahi, the answer is stunning. Less than $11 per learner. That’s a small cost for major empowerment.

Aagahi is key to a more equitable Pakistan. As the leaders of households, it is critical that women have the necessary skills to build a brighter future for themselves and their families. We look ahead to its accelerating growth and the next 200,000 learners.

Thank you for providing opportunity to those who deserve it but for too long have been left behind.

 
Sincerely,
Eric