Supporting Jamrud's Local Schools

Dr. Samina Afridi, Vice President of Decoding Barriers, lead an initiative to deliver educational resources to a local girl’s school in Jamrud. Jamrud, an area bordering the Khyber Pass, is one of the most impoverished areas of Pakistan. Political instability and military operations have led to unstable economic conditions in the region, and families often rely on a variable, single source of income in the agricultural or handicrafts sector. As most families cannot afford private school, their only option is to send their children to government-sponsored schools, which often lack the funding for necessities such as books and adequate shelter for their students. 

When Dr. Afridi initially visited Community School Warmando Meela Jamrud, she recognized that students were unomfortably sitting on the bare ground; furthermore, they  were deprived of pens, pencils, erasers, and notebooks. She coordinated with members of Decoding Barriers to provide the school with mats and the vital materials needed for the girls to pursue their studies. 

She, along with other members of Decoding Barriers, spent the day forming connections with the students and helping them read in English. As the public schools in areas such as Jamrud are taught in Urdu, students are more likely to struggle with content taught in English compared to their privately educated counterparts. After speaking to students individually, Dr. Afridi read an English book to the students, explaining the meaning of each word. After school ended, she spent some time with the students to learn more about their passions, their lives, and their educational aspirations.

The barriers to education for bright children, particularly young girls, are unsurmountable without community-based efforts such as Supplying Success. Decoding Barriers recognizes that while the distribution of physical resources is required for children to reach their full potential, it is not enough. Children require impactful education delivered by passionate, knowledgeable instructors. The literacy rate in the broader Merged Districts in which Jamrud is located is only 28 percent overall and eight percent for women, and these schools are often the only opportunity for students to learn basic literacy skills. Furthermore, a supportive educational environment is necessary for young children, particularly young women. Young students often feel pressured to forego their education to generate income for their families. Young girls in particular are often discouraged from attending school due to societal and political constraints. Dr. Afridi has mentored many students throughout their professional and personal journeys and has stressed the importance of forming bonds with her students beyond the classroom. In addition to the financial constraints students are faced with, they require positive emotional reinforcement from an educator as they face unsafe conditions due to political instability in the region. 

Initiatives such as Supplying Success enable young women to learn from and connect with a prominent female educator and showcase that minorities in education can become successful professionals.

To learn more about Decoding Barriers,  please visit our website at www.decodingbarriers.org.