Currently there are 1850 students enrolled in 3 formal and 27 non-formal community outreach schools of Fatima Memorial Hospital in 7 peri-urban areas of Lahore established since 1985. Of these, the enrollment of girls is only 35%, reflecting the gender discrimination marring the society as a whole. This project aims to provide equal opportunities to the girls in the communities being served by us from an early age by providing them primary education and increasing their enrollment level to 50%
Education is a fundamental right for all. However, in Pakistan this still remains a dream for most. Over 5.1 million primary school-aged children are out of school in Pakistan - the third highest number of out-of-school children in the world - and 63% of them are girls . For various cultural barriers a girl's education is not considered as important as a boy's in the underprivileged sections of Pakistani society. The literacy ratio is 65:40 for males and females.
While the Pakistan government has legislated for education for all, education remains drastically under-funded at 2.4% of GDP, a decrease from 2.7% in the preceding year - despite a government commitment of 4% . Sponsoring a girl's education and providing her with uniform, course books and an added monetary incentive for parents will encourage parents to send them to school and ensure their continued presence there, hence uplifting the state of the entire community.
"Continuing Malala's Dream - Educating Girls in Pakistan" aims to educate 230 of girls in the 30 schools across the seven peri-urban dwellings of Lahore for the upcoming year. The project further aims to highlight the importance of educating the girl child to the masses and bring about a cultural change whereby the role of future educated mothers is realized in making a better impact on health, child mortality and other key economic and social indicators.