Ramadan Fundraiser for Fareezah's Little Stars! ⭐

Fareezah is a charity school for underprivileged children in Kotha Kala, a small low-income area in Rawalpindi, Pakistan. I am Sehrish Khan Saddozai and I started Fareezah with 15 students in 2016; a number that has now grown to 130 students in 2022. As our enrollments grow, so do the expenses for running Fareezah. Our major expenses include building rent, teachers’ and staff salaries, books, copies, and stationary. Scroll down to the end to see a breakdown of our latest annual cost.

The school is set up in a small rented house with 4 rooms. We have 11 teachers who accomodate all our students in morning and afternoon classes. I have a small team of friends, supporters, and volunteers who pitch in for fundraising, artwork, and administrative advice. Most of our students are children of working-class, daily wagers who work as house help or labor. We provide them a comfortable school environment where we fulfil their educational and nutrional needs, supervise their overall progress, and provide guidance to their families.

I have lived in Kotha Kalan during my teenage years and know firsthand that a lot of underprivileged children in this area are out-of-school. The area attracts a lot of migrant workers and has a mix of the urban poor and rural poor population, who settle here to improve their earnings because there are posh localities nearby and people looking to hire house help, drivers, cooks, etc. As these families are already struggling to make ends meet they cannot afford to send their children to school. Fareezah is a safe haven for those children whose parents are not literate enough to look after their children’s educational needs.

We welcome all children, young and old, to build their educational foundation with us till middle school (pre-playgroup till 4th grade). We then enroll them in government schools so they can carry on their educational journey. Our goal is to leave no child behind and to ensure that the youth of this area are well supported to embark on their educational journey and dream a bigger dream for themselves. My experience with this educational initiative has given me the insight that students who have had an early educational intervention and who are supported till middle school have significantly fewer dropout rates and they are well prepared to independently handle school in their teenage years.

Fareezah holds an awareness drive each year to convince families in Kotha Kalan or nearby areas to send their out-of-school children to Fareezah for free.

We hold trips, seminars, and public events for our students to learn more about arts, mental health, dental hygeinge, good and bad touch, etc. to develop a better sense of the world around them.

We take the kids to the nearest playground sometimes so they can get some physical exercise.

Fareezah's Student Of The Year 2022: Umm-e-Hani

Umm-e-Hani is an excellent student who wants to be a soldier when she grows up and her favorite colors are the colors of Pakistan’s national flag, green and white. Her mother works as house help at three different households. There are 129 more children at Fareezah besides Umm-e-Hani, with their own unique stories. At Fareezah, we make it easy for parents to educate their children. Our mission is to break the chains of cyclical poverty for urban and migrant poor, so they can dream of a better future for their future generations.

Our goal for this year is to rent out a bigger building so our students are not cramped in the class rooms. We are running morning and afternoon shifts in our 4 rooms to accommodate a strength of 130. This new building costs 5 x more rent than our current building but we will be able to expand our capacity and accommodate more students. We want to provide them with a comfortable seating environment and play area to thrive in.

Total expense breakdown 2022-2023:

In this mission we reach out to you for help. You, our donors have always aided us in this educational initiative and without you Fareezah would not have been possible. This initiative sprung out from the realization that it is our personal and social responsibility to give back to society. The same thought which inspired many of you to do your part to help us in our mission. Fareezah is about taking responsibility and coming together to bring about a positive social change.

Regards,

Sehrish Khan Saddozai

Founder & CEO, Fareezah Trust