Moqah Foundation is focused on educating underserved children and empowering them to have the opportunity for a better life and financial independence, enabling them to have lifelong economic independence and overall improved quality of life.
We currently have 2 schools with a total strength of 380 students located in Bhara Kahu, located in the Islamabad Capital Territory and in Kot Abdul Malik, Sheikhupura. Bhara Kahu (BK) is situated on the outskirts of Islamabad. This region is densely populated, with over 250,000 people living without access to basic needs, including potable water, sanitation and schooling. Kot Abdul Malik, Sheikhupura is a poverty stricken, rural area with a population of over 70,000. In this region, illiteracy and unemployment are high, as is child labor.
SUKH stands for Social Uplift through Knowledge and Health. The schools offer classes from Pre-school to Grade 10.
Our youth education program began in 2007 and promotes gender equity in education in a region where the education of boys is prioritized, we adhere to a “girls first” admission policy, which permits the enrollment of boys only once their sisters have been enrolled.
Our youth education program has had significant impact on preventing early child marriage and child labor. Qualitative data from 2017 reveals a 60% decline from the expected early marital rate and rate of participation in labor for the year.
One major barrier for girls’ access to education as noted recently by Oxfam is the lack of female teachers in schools, which reduces parent’s comfort in girls attending school. In our schools we have hired, trained and empowered, an all-female teaching staff who are all from the local communities. They have, ranging between, Certifications in teaching to Masters degrees in Education. Our teachers, recruited from within the community, receive annual trainings in the summer as well as on an ad hoc basis. Our curriculum emphasizes active learning methods that enhance the analytical and imaginative skills essential to thinking critically through a challenging problem. It also provides students introduction to home economics where students can balance some of the analytical skills they acquire in learning about the practical trade skills we teach in our vocational training program described below. The overall goal is to provide our students with the firm background needed to move on to government run vocational training programs, which will offer them the opportunity for life-long marketable skills and careers. Each child who attends Moqah Foundation school is not only provided the curriculum we offer, but also the necessary materials to make for a successful experience. Some of these materials, which include uniforms, books and writing materials are donated by local NGOs and donors.
In these locations we concurrently run vocational and entrepreneur skills training for marginalized youth and women. To date we have provided over 3,000 youth education scholarships and trained 3,200 women in business and vocational skills. In doing so, we aim to combat the problem of female illiteracy, specifically, and gendered disparity in education, generally, while remaining attentive to the risk all youth have for radicalization and extremism. Our long-term vision is to witness an increase in the number of qualified women entering the Pakistani workforce.
In addition to our Youth Education Program, since 2012 Moqah Foundation has supported entrepreneurial skill development for women and girls through our Enterprise Development program. These programs provide participants with a firm foundation, including income generating skills, knowledge and support necessary to start and maintain successful, income-generating businesses
Moqah Foundation’s Enterprise Development programs are dedicated to enhancing the entrepreneurial skills of women in the communities we work with. Participants in our Enterprise Development Program receive up to 5 days of training, consisting of around 6 hours of training each day. The curriculum incorporates the core areas of Life Skills, Communication, Financial Skills, Technical and Digital training, Business Entrepreneurship.
Moqah Foundation is committed to sustainable practices which are imperative because they help pay for the cost of our programs, while maximizing impact within the communities we work.
To ensure sustainability, Moqah Foundation programs are sensitive to the local needs and customs of the people in the communities we work with. Without support from the ground up, efforts to empower women in these communities might receive only short-term success at best, and, at worst, will outright fail. Girls and women must not be ostracized for participation. In light of this, we only operate in places where we have been invited by the community and have the blessing and support of local families. In short, we are attentive to the cultural norms and customs that make women’s economic empowerment a realistic possibility,
The organization is run on donations by generous people that enable us to serve students who otherwise would not have access to education. Our fund-raising appeals clearly identify the purpose and programs to which donations will be applied, and we ensure that donations are used for the purposes for which they were raised.
However, the organization is going through a rough face and facing a financial shortfall to meet projected needs, causing significant concern as result of the economic shock associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. Funding has fallen fell sharply both in real terms as a result of the financial crisis. Funds will be needed to protect children, to minimize the learning losses associated with the pandemic and to ensure that the pandemic’s impact does not fall disproportionately on the poorest and most vulnerable students.