Today we’re in Shah Allah Ditta, a community near Islamabad that feels a like the countryside. There are green hills, open spaces, and small houses dotted throughout. There are only 60 households in the community!
We recently opened up a new informal school in Shah Allah Ditta, and we wanted to find ways to encourage more kids and families to come.
One of the teachers at the school owned some land, and she told us that she was willing to provide that space to grow trees, fruits, and flowers for the kids. I was so amazed by her generosity.
We all had an idea…what if we turned her gift into a lesson, inviting the kids to work a bit on the garden when they come to school?
We decided that each child would be responsible for one tree, and we assigned groups of kids to tend different types of flowers….daisies, lilies, tulips, jasmine, and more.
Then we brought in nametags so that the children could label their trees and flowers. And together, the teachers and the children sat and decorated the name tags for each tree so that every child will know that it’s theirs to care for.
Meet Fatima!
Fatima works for Alight in Pakistan as a community mobilizer. A big part of her job involves finding new communities to work with, developing strong relationships with that community, and working jointly to ensure that no child is out of school. Her greatest hope is to bring big, positive changes to the people she meets every day, and especially for young girls who haven’t yet been to school. What inspires her most when she works with communities is how welcoming everyone is. She feels like family – she sees these girls like her own daughters, and hopes that they see her as family, too.
When she’s not out and about, she loves decorating her home, cooking, and hosting people – her next new hobby is to learn how to paint landscapes!
