| For adolescent girls who due to domestic responsibilities or social conventions have dropped out of mainstream school or never been to school.
Need
Most Muslim children receive a religious education. However, a mainstream education without which it is difficult to get a job, is still not viewed as a priority for several families in this area. This is especially true for the girls who help out in domestic chores and cannot attend school or whose parents feel that getting a daughter married and settled is more important than getting her educated. Early marriages, irregular attendance and emotional problems are common problems among the students who are enrolled in the school. Children drop out of school when the breadwinner of the family falls ill in order to take over the domestic responsibilities. Often they cannot afford the tuition and the overheads, such as uniforms, stationery, transport and textbooks.
Girls who are interested in pursuing an education do not have a high school close by. Parents often do not send them to school after puberty due to the practice of female seclusion (purdah). As a result girls have to sacrifice their education. The Hope Project fills this gap giving girls an opportunity to get an education and become a more balanced, confident and socially responsible citizen.
Services delivered
The girls attend 5 years of preparatory classes before being admitted into the 10 th and 12 th grades where they write the National Open School examination. This certificate opens up several avenues for the future: some girls pursue higher studies whereas others take up a job to supplement the family income. Poor students are supported in a variety of ways to ensure that they do not drop out of school. This could be in the form of financial assistance, uniforms, transport costs, examination fees and medical support. Every effort is made to help students finish their school education. Girls are also taken for local as well as outstation trips for exposure. |
