About Us
Al Mashal Welfare Foundation was established in 2004 by Zainab Khan.
It is a registered non-profit-making organisation providing quality education to the under privileged and poverty stricken children of the society. It is evident that a country can only prosper when its majority of population is literate. Unfortunately Pakistan is one of those countries where the literacy rate is very low and majority of the population falls beneath the poverty line. Al Mashal Welfare Foundation aims to bridge the gap between the poor and the rich through education. Since the under privileged segment of our society can not afford to send their children to school for formal education, the need for a school especially for these children was felt.
Most of these children are put to work in factories or shops where they have to do hard work just to earn money for their families. They are deprived of their childhood at an early age when their basic right for education is taken away from them. Al Mashal Welfare Foundation gives these children a chance where they can afford good education in nominal fee and in some cases no fee at all.
Al Mashal Welfare Foundation began its journey in a rented one room where the children from less privileged families came for education. The school environment motivated them and the books were the magic they needed for a better future. Slowly the number of children was increasing and the need for a bigger building was felt. And thus the school moved forward from one room to a bigger building. The ever increasing number of children meant renting bigger and better buildings for the school.
Through out its journey Al Mashal Welfare Foundation had the support of friends and family who donated generously to the noble cause. The teacher salaries, rent, bills, books and stationery, food etc were paid by the donations received. The ever increasing rent of the buildings was the deciding factor for constructing its own school building. Finally in 2018 the construction of the new building started and the school shifted to its new premises. It would not have been possible by the joint efforts of family and friends.
Registration and Curriculum
The school is affiliated with the Punjab Board now, vide certificate of affiliation issued on 19th October 2010. The curriculum is that of a good English medium school. A Qari teaches the children Quran. The school timings are officially 8 am to 1.30 pm. Since the students’ parents are mostly illiterate and cannot help with homework, lunch and zuhr prayers are followed by an extra coaching session with the teachers. The teachers regularly give instructions about good manners and moral conduct so students have a well rounded education.
Vocational Training and Mothers’ Training
Al-Mashal recognizes a very critical target area comprising the mothers of the students. Better educated mothers will inevitably bring up better educated children. Through its Mother Training Programme Al-Mashal plans to provide vocational as well as basic literary skills to the mothers of the students so that they can become independent, active working hands of a family. Students are taught stitching, embroidery, candle making and cooking. Mothers are also involved in the vocational training. Besides this, they attend the Daura-e-Quran in Ramadan which for many is very enlightening. They are regularly counseled on the importance of educating their children, regular attendance at school, hygiene and cleanliness.