When Shaheen was just 10 years old, her parents arranged her Nikkah (marriage) ceremony, which is not uncommon for young girls in Jhangesar, a small fishing village in Sindh, where child marriage is the norm. Soon after, people in her community began pressuring her father to arrange the wedding ceremony so that she can move into her in-laws’ house.
Each time her school began a new academic year, Shaheen was told it would be her last. That would have been true if it wasn’t for her stubborn refusal to give up her right to learn and support from Ms. Farzana, the principal at the TCF school who convinced Shaheen’s parents each time to let her stay a little longer.
Shaheen started teaching at the same TCF school where she first started – helping other girls learn and stay in school, just like her principal once did for her. Shaheen recognized the need to provide healthcare to her village and so, after completing her BSc. Arts, she is now enrolled in the BSc. Nursing degree program. Shaheen’s marriage was formalized along the way and she now lives with her husband – who is also a TCF graduate and stands firmly by her side to support her dreams.
Together We Achieved Great Things!
Your Support Helped So Many
Your support helped us achieve so many great things in our pursuit of providing quality education to underprivileged children in Pakistan.
280,000
Deserving students receiving quality education
1,833
School units
13,000
Teachers & Principals
Support the Further Education of Children
Transform Even More Lives
Give the Gift of Education to Children Like Shaheen
$144
Educate a child for one year
$1500
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Custom Amount
Behind the Numbers
Education is the answer
Children in Pakistan currently face numerous hardships in their journey to receive a quality education. Due to poverty forcing children to either work instead of going to school or being married young, a particular issue for girls, they’re denied their right to education.
According to Pakistan Demographic and Health Survey (PDHS), 3.3% of girls are married off under the age of 15, while 18.3% of girls married off are under the age of 18. For boys, 4.7% of boys are married off under the age of 18.
Pakistan is, as noted by UNICEF, the country with the world’s second highest number of out of school children . With an estimated 22.8 million children aged 5-16 not attending school, representing 44 per cent of the total population in this age group.
As our numbers from 2022 show, your support makes all the difference for these children, so that they can overcome the obstacles they face and look forward to the education they deserve.