Great News from GEI! Work in Pakistan starts in March, new ED, donations, etc!

In addition to receiving a $1000 donation in the last few days, Girls Education International is happy to announce that Therese Thompson will be starting as the new Executive Director on March 1, 2010. Therese has spent many years working with nonprofits and is currently the Executive Director of Summit Cancer Solutions and a graduate student. She will be working part time. See the website in a few weeks for more information on Therese.

In other good news, we are starting our project in Pakistan this March. Please see the below pasted note for details!

Dear Lizzy,

Thank you very much for your email. My apology, I am relying late.

About the project: I went to village Laphi along with Ms. Habiba our program officer in the field office who would be looking after this project. In the village we met with the project committee and the girls who would be attending the school. The committee could prepare only 21 girls to attend the school. Other parents are hesitant to send their girls to school because of the low priority for various cultural and economic reasons.

The rest of the nine girls are included from a neighboring village Sar Kalan. A list of nine deserving girls is ready. So the total number of participating girls remains the same i.e. 30.

Sir Kalan is village having almost the same profile as Laphi. There is no facility for girls post primary level from the government side. The girls and their families selected from Sir Kalan are equally deserving and enthusiastic about the opportunity to go to school.

All the 30 girls shall be attending the same school, Government Higher Secondary School, Buchal Kalan, district Chakwal.

We need to purchase uniform during the first week of March. The admissions will be completed in March and the classes shall begin in April.

I am happy everything is completed on time and we start the project in time. We are grateful to GEI for giving Bedari this opportunity to work for girls education. It is such a satisfying work. When you meet these girls, the happiness is overflowing from their faces. They are imagining that their lives are going to change. Instead of going to fields and to the mountains to bring fuel wood and fodder, they will now be going to school. It is a huge difference.

Thank you very much again and best regards.

Saleem

Saleem Malik
Executive Director
Bedari - working with women and children for their human rights
House 657, Street 75, Sector I-8/3
Islamabad, Pakistan
www.bedari.org.pk
Phone: Office: +92 51 486 2877, +92 51 431 8054
Cell: +92 321 516 7297
Skype: saleem.malik

Bedari is a national level humanitarian, women and girls' rights development organization without religious, political or governmental affiliations. Bedari works to eliminate violence against women. Bedari is founding member of AASHA – Alliance against Sexual Harassment at Workplace. www.aasha.org.pk