MOQAH FOUNDATION
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REDUCING ILLITERACY.
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PROVIDING LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES THAT FOSTER CRITICAL THINKING AND EMPOWERMENT.
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BUILDING A MORE PEACEFUL AND PROSPEROUS WORLD
Moqah Foundation provides scholarships to youth living in poverty who otherwise would not have access to education. Each year, enrollment requests exceed our schools’ capacities. We do not build schools, we invest in human capacity. By paying teachers a fair wage, providing teacher training, supporting operations and renting affordable buildings, Moqah Foundation can focus on reducing illiteracy and providing experiential learning opportunities in multidisciplinary subjects that foster critical thinking and empowerment. Emphasis is on the girl child. Boys are not allowed to enroll unless their sisters are enrolled first. All programs are run with dedicated and qualified local staff.
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. In the past five years this capital region has turned into a safe haven for criminals, militants and other perpetrators of violence. Kot Abdul Malik, Sheikhupura (SKP) is a poverty stricken, rural area situated on the outskirts of Lahore in the Punjab. Its population is over 70,000. In SKP, illiteracy and unemployment are high, as is child labor. There is also a serious lack of opportunity for women. Without economic prospects, girls are considered a burden on the family and are forced into domestic labor and early marriage.
There is a direct correlation between early marriages and education. Girls are less likely than boys to be educated due to the belief that investment in a girl’s education is wasted once she marries. As a result, they lack the valuable and necessary skills to enter the labour market, thus limiting economic progress for themselves and their families. Lack of education among girls is often coupled with limited decision-making skills and bargaining power thus, restricting their ability to fight back against the injustices they experience on a daily basis. Moreover, lack of awareness of the impact of child marriages on young girls also serves to reinforce the trend. Illiteracy of parents also tends to limit chances of their children, particularly girls to acquire education. More often than not, girls are kept out of school for multiple reasons but primarily because no value is associated with their education compared to boys. Child marriages, thus, becomes the most ‘desirable’ solution to set girls off in taking up marital and domestic responsibilities, destined to be their future.
Moqah Foundation has a realistic dream for those who complete their matriculation with us. We intend offering vocational training courses to the students so these children grow up to a brighter and secure future.
Barakahu school
Barakahu school opened in 2009 and has 220 students. The current building provides extra space for the whole school to continue on the path of learning and knowledge. Parents meet with teachers to learn how to best support their children.
Teachers participate in annual teacher training, and provide multiple subjects including math and science in a learning environment that fosters critical thinking.
Sheikhupura School
The community elders, teachers, and families of Sheikhupura along with our team worked hard together to see to it that deserving children were able to attend a school they could call their own. The school opened in November 2009 and is filled with children who treat their education as a gift. The children are inspired by their teachers on a daily basis to dream big and do their best work to help build a brighter future. Sheikhupura school currently has 200 students
Teacher Trainings
Teacher trainings are an ongoing process to build teachers’ capacities for using innovative techniques for teaching and developing low cost teaching materials and develop leadership quality among them.