While many of us complain about waking up early in the morning, having to wear uniforms and what we’re packing for school, countless children are denied the choice. This is evident from the stark drop-out rates from schools in rural cities all across Pakistan. Much of this, however, has been reduced thanks to the efforts of British Council working tirelessly to get young boys and girls back in schools.

We partnered with ILMPOSSIBLE: Take A Child To School initiative by the British Council to share heartwarming stories of students from rural areas who will now enjoy the gift of education:

1. Little girls “all smiles” in a Government School in Punjab.

Taken at one of the schools that received a grant to install basic facilities. Girls continue to make up more than half of the 25 million out-of-school children in Pakistan.

2. A dedicated teacher in Larkano single-handedly moulding futures.

Shahid Hussain, an ILMBASSADOR of ILMPOSSIBLE – Take A Child to School started organizing activities like quiz competitions and door-to-door visits to convince his local community to send their children to school. Not only that, he also arranged for a grant that accommodated five rooms and a teacher’s office.

His hard-work and dedication is truly commendable.

3. Little munchkins in Sindh indulging in some friendly matches. 

DOSTI is a specially designed program for sports and life skills that improves coaching facilities in underprivileged schools while also helping in student retention.

4. Channeling their inner “zen” at the P.E session.

One of the DOSTI modules in Tando Muhammad Khan, Sindh.

5. Overjoyed students in uniform, jumping from excitement.

Enrolled in a school from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

6. Little bookworms with their noses buried in books at their personal reading center.

Libraries are not a very common sight in most rural areas of Pakistan. ILMBASSADORs and Mohalla Committees in Sindh are working to change that by building small scale libraries and reading corners in the schools located in some of the most under-resourced communities.

7. Big smiles and victory signs by kids tucked somewhere in the heart of Sindh:

Khairpur, Gotkhi, Larkana, Sukkur and Shikarpur.

Since teacher absenteeism is high, kids can use reading corners as a space to read books and borrow them to take home as well.

8.  Younglings with a glimmer in their eye.

GPS Phulra (KP) school reconstruction is finally happening fter 11 years since the earthquake in 2005. The 130 children who are currently at the mercy of the open sky will now be protected. All thanks to the efforts of the British Council ILMPOSSIBLE-Take a child to school project.

9. Students celebrating their massive grant.

GBPS Khamiso Chachar and GBPS Mazaar Chachar School in Gotkhi were awarded a grant. However, the Mohalla Committee made by British Council came together to collect more funds and secured a whopping PKR 450,000 that resulted in a complete overhaul of both schools.

Through the ILMPOSSIBLE program, British Council has not only inspired children and individuals to benefit from the power of knowledge and education but also impacted the lives of those around them. Be it the story of Khuda Bux who overcame his disability to eventually acquire a college education while also founding his very own charity to Naseem Khan who managed to enroll 700 children in school just by her own perseverance. The stories are endless.

This post has been sponsored by British Council

With more than 225,000 enrollments and 15,000 trained ILMAMBASSADORS, ILMPOSSIBLE: Take a Child to School by British Council has been instrumental in securing school-going children in districts that have the lowest enrollment and completion rates. Working in collaboration with Ministry of Education, specially designed sports and Life Skills component called DOSTI (friendship) was also rolled out in 450 primary schools across Pakistan, aimed at improving coaching and sports facilities for young children and indirectly improving retention.