Iqra translates to "read" from Arabic.
Iqra Fund provides educational opportunities for women and children in remote villages of northern Pakistan.
We work in the most remote valleys of northern Pakistan.
WHO WE ARE
Iqra Fund is a U.S. based nonprofit organization committed to serving girls and women in remote regions faced with economic, social, and political barriers to education and maternal health.
Our founders’ years of travel, on-the-ground research, and educational development in northern Pakistan have established a deep understanding of the unique challenges that these communities face.
By working with community strengths and local leadership, Iqra Fund provides women and children, especially girls, with educational opportunities to improve their quality of life.
WHAT WE DO
Access
In northern Pakistan, the greatest barrier to girls’ education is financial. Girls’ scholarships for primary school include support for uniforms, books, and other necessary school supplies.
Scholarships at the secondary school level cover tuition fees, school supplies, and room and board at a safe, supportive hostel. Female staff also provide regular workshops and check-ins.
In order to increase school enrollment, Iqra Fund invests in creating girl-friendly school environments. This includes clean latrines, boundary walls, access to clean water, comfortable and inspiring classrooms, and well-trained female teachers.
Quality
Increasing the quality of education in any village school starts with hiring and training local teachers. Well-trained teachers embrace student-centered methods and promote collaborative learning in girl-friendly school environments.
Iqra Fund works closely with teachers and regional professional development facilities to provide the highest quality training and resources.
Iqra Fund also works with participating villages to track and monitor student and teacher success to best serve each school’s unique needs.
Sustainability
Iqra Fund invests in long-term generational change that can be carried forward by our scholarship girls who return home to become teachers or health care providers in their villages.
Girls who are provided a quality education will raise smaller, healthier families, and will provide better economic conditions for their communities.
By engaging with local, regional, and national leadership, and through community needs assessments, Iqra Fund is dedicated to building every program on the guiding principles of sustainability.
