Change is never easy,But its always possible
Biannual Newsletter 2024
Thirty Children from Chak Jalal Din attend English Medium Schools
- Chak Jalal din a slum community in the outskirts of Rawalpindi, Pakistan is home to more than 4000 families marginalized for their religion, social status and nature of work
- We now have thirty children from this community who have a lifetime opportunity to receive quality education in English medium schools – The schools that these children attend are equipped with playgrounds, good bathrooms, individual teachers for every subject and a computer lab.
- Children are provided with free tuition, books, stationary, transportation and a robust AFTER SCHOOL PROGRAM
- At the after school program emphasis is placed on extra-curricular activities that include crafts, music and spoken English.
At the Summer day school this year, we had Ms. Safoora Jabran come and take spoken English classes. She worked with the children to improve their grammar skills and focused on sentence formation and how to construct questions. We hope that in the future, with your support we will have the resources to hire a full time teacher with a strong focus on English proficiencies. Such a teacher can cost from $500-800 per month. We believe that improving children’s English language abilities would be key to their success in school and building their confidence outside school. At present, Ms. Irum and Ms. Laban continue to support the children in their homework and other activities and willingly spend late hours if a child needs extra help.
Children visit the zoo and historical sites
This summer was an exciting one. Several educational trips were organized to the zoo, historical sites, the heritage museum and the Japanese Garden. For most children this was their first time to see any of these sites and surprisingly this also included the zoo. The excitement of the children was priceless; not only did they enjoy being out as a group but enjoyed a delicious packed lunch. One of the meals was a sit down at a restaurant which was also a first for many children.
- We reported in our June newsletter that we had initiated the construction of a Community Centre building in February this year that would ensure sustainability of the program in Chak Jalal Din and become a central hub for all community children and youth to access essential social, educational and health programs.
- We are happy to report that funds have been available and we have completed the structure for the main floor and the second floor along with the plumbing and electrical work.
- The building still needs doors, windows, finishes for walls, paint, lighting, fans and floors. To date, $130K has been spent on the construction. We continue to look to our donors for their generous support to complete the project before the summer of 2020. We hope that you can invest with us in this lasting legacy and a one- time donation of $500 will let us place a memory plaque in your name or the name of a loved one on a main wall of the Community Centre.
FOURTH ANNUAL FUNDRAISING GALA, CANADA
- Open Hands Global fourth annual Fundraising Gala was held on 5th October, 2019 at Candles Banquet Hall, Mississauga. Special thanks to Randy B/ Footseps SASquared and Fakhar Mushtaq Gill for their entertaining performances. We appreciate them volunteering their time and talent for this worthy cause. The event was well attended and we thank you all for making it a success. All funds and donations raised from the Gala are going towards paying for plumbing and electrical work for the Community Centre.
- FUNDRAISING IN CANADAGarage SaleAs previous year, we had a garage sale in June at the Evangel Pentecostal Church parking lot in Oakville. We thank all of you that donated your lightly used items and making it a wonderful success. We were able to make sufficient funds to sponsor 2 children for 2020. Our next sale will be summer 2020. Please text or call Rukhsana Young at 647-229-8858 to make any donations.
- Open Hands Global USA participated in a cook out for the International Festival Day in Bowling Green, Kentucky. Lots of hard work but a fun opportunity to connect and share a taste of Pakistan with many people. FUNDRAISIN IN USA
We are accepting sponsorship pledges for new children added to the program but not yet sponsored
- A full sponsorship for a student of $50/month ($600/year) will cover English medium school fee, transportation to and from school, 2 sets of uniforms, Oxford curriculum text books, stationary and copiesA pledge of $30/month will pay for English medium school feeA pledge of $20/month will cover transport, uniforms and books