Since Iqra Fund’s inception, we have nurtured a community of teachers who believe as strongly as we do that access to education will change the lives of the people – especially women and girls – living in Northern Pakistan. We are proud to have 70 teachers on staff and to have trained 110 teachers, expanding our reach to benefit 8,000 children. On World Teachers Day, we sat down with one of our Early Childhood Education teachers in Passu, Naila Mehmood, to talk about her work as a teacher and how it brings her joy. Here is what Naila told us:
"My first experience of being a teacher came when I had kids. As a mother, you are constantly teaching your children something or the other. I would always try to teach my children right from wrong, and instil the habit of reading in them. I really enjoyed teaching them, and now I feel lucky because I get to teach the children of my entire village.
I feel so proud and happy to be a teacher. Having an education is the most important thing for a successful future, and I feel happy that I can help these children have a better life than what we grew up with. My wish for them is that they do well and help others get an education as well.
I feel that these children are so lucky to have access to Early Childhood Education, which was something I didn’t have when I was growing up. It has been such a fulfilling experience to watch them learn
At first when their parents would drop them to school they would cry, but now they come to school happy and ready to spend the day in the classroom reading, writing and playing.
As a teacher I am constantly trying to improve my skills. I try to work on my English by reading a lot of books. I also meet with fellow teachers so we can discuss our teaching methods and learn from each other. I can’t imagine being anything other than a teacher. This is my true calling."
We are so proud of Naila, and all of our other teachers! Thank you for helping us bring education to the remote communities of Northern Pakistan!
