A Different Dua Now
“Dua has always been a source of happiness in my life. Like every mother, I worry about her future and pray for her success, particularly in her education and career. She deserves a better life than mine…” says Subhaan, the recently widowed mother of Dua, a talented 17-year-old class 9 student who until as late as 2019 was the run-of-the-mill out of school child in Pakistan’s Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT). Originally from the province of Sindh, her parents migrated to ICT roughly 12 years ago in search of an opportunity to make a better life for their young family.
The fifth child amongst eight siblings, Dua accessed education sporadically if at all, in her native town because she was not permitted to walk the long distances to school alone. There, the closest school was approximately three miles away and generally, out of concern for safety, girls are kept home if no male or older female family member is available to accompany them on the journey. Such was Dua’s fate for a number of years. In fact, due to these constraints, it is estimated that, altogether over time, she probably missed out on at least four years of schooling. In this respect, her young life after the family’s move to Islamabad seemed to progress as it had in Sindh – a typical day consisted of her passing the time playing in the street, hanging out with other girls who were not enrolled in school either.
It was precisely a moment of the sort, on an ordinary day in a neighbourhood outside of Islamabad when a world of opportunity blossomed before Dua. As she roamed the streets, playing with a bunch of her friends, Fatima Tarannum, a Literacy Mobiliser working to support “Access to Education For 1 Million OOSC in Pakistan,” a joint project carried out by Education Above All’s Educate A Child Programme in partnership with Alight, noticed the girl and approached the group. Literacy Mobilisers played a critical role throughout the duration of the ACCESS project, engaging communities on the margins, knocking on doors, talking with parents, and identifying and enrolling out of school children. In this instance, Fatima spoke to the children and informed them of the EAC-Alight initiative and the presence of a community school within reach. Dua was thrilled. Eventually, Fatima would speak directly with Subhaan, a homemaker who had never had an opportunity to go to school, about her daughter’s future and the value of education.
“…every time I see [Dua] doing well, I get so inspired and emotional. She has made me love my job even more,” says Fatima, reflecting on the part she played in helping the young girl start her amazing journey.
Needless to say, Fatima’s efforts paid off, and Dua would have an opportunity to transform her life through a second chance at quality primary education. Almost as though it were all a dream, the adolescent girl seemed to hit the ground running at school. She is a remarkably bright student, passing all her exams with distinction!
Upon completing the primary cycle through the ACCESS project, Dua has also continued this incredible momentum at the secondary level. She has performed so well academically that she earned herself a paid job as a teaching assistant at her school. In this position, Dua helps prepare the classroom for lessons, assists the teacher with planning learning activities and assists her class 3 and 4 students with their tasks as necessary.
“Dua [is] a wonderful student, consistently active and engaging. She has a friendly nature that makes her mingle with other students easily,” remarks Ms. Saira, Dua’s English teacher.
Though she sometimes finds it challenging to manage large numbers of younger children, as she is still young, Dua, as a whole, is elated and feels a sense of empowerment vis-à-vis the teaching assistantship.
At the moment, she is passionate about education, determined to excel, and weighing career paths in teaching and the performing arts. Dua says, “I do not know what would have been if I did not attend the school. I think I can achieve whatever I wish after getting an education. I am a different Dua now.”
The joint “Access to Education For 1 Million OOSC in Pakistan” project between Education Above All’s Educate A Child programme and Alight began operations in 2018 and was active in the country’s Punjab, Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Gilgit Baltistan, Baluchistan and Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) provinces and locales. The ACCESS project was successfully completed in 2021 and exceeded its enrolment target (1,050,00 OOSC) by bringing 1,101,549 disadvantaged children into quality primary education.
