DIL News 2010 - Winter

Meet Anita...

Anita’s mother was married at the age of 14 to her father who was 50 years old.  Anita’s father died seven years later, leaving her mother with four young children. Anita’s mother began tending cattle and farming a piece of land to support her family, with 5 year old Anita working by her side.

Soon a DIL-IRC school opened in her village and a teacher asked that Anita be enrolled. Initially, Anita’s mother declined, but upon learning that DIL-IRC would offer a scholarship to cover the costs of the education, she registered Anita.

Anita loved going to school where she flourished and soon became a favorite amongst the teachers. Year after year she was top in her class while working after school in the field with her mother.

By the time she passed her matriculation exam, Anita had decided that she wanted to become a teacher. However, there was no teaching position available in her village so she decided to volunteer at a nearby school.

Last year, the very school she graduated from needed an additional teacher. Anita applied for the position which included a written exam and an interview. When the results came in, Anita was selected as the new teacher at DIL-IRC School, Syed Waryal Shah. With her income she is helping reduce her mother’s workload.

Anita now inspires her students to work hard, get good grades and accomplish their goals. It is women like Anita who are the true catalysts for grassroots social change in Pakistan.

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