Additionally, we made a very important observation that surprised us all. The children we chose for our pilot project were not spread across multiple families. Instead, we chose just a few families but ensured all of their children are part of our pilot project. In roughly 4-5 years, we noticed that the conversation within those families had completely changed. For those families, going to school was not an unimportant activity but the focus of everything the family did.
And that’s not even the best part. The best part is that their extended families and neighbors also started paying attention to what was happening in this family. As a result, those people now think of education as a necessity that they cannot afford to ignore.
Since then we have shifted our efforts to the success of families rather than building and operating schools. We identify children in need and ensure that all children in his/her family are on the path to better education. We offer financial support to cover a combination of school fees, books, uniforms, after school tuition, and / or transportation. We also provide boarding expenses when the local school is not an option for a child.
Even the greatest of fires start with the smallest of sparks. A project that started with only 17 children has touched the lives of more than 75 children so far. It has produced six BS/BA graduates with an additional seven at various stages of University level education currently.