Walking around Shah Allah Ditta, there’s something you might notice – the kids are very small. Sometimes a five year old will look like a three year old, sometimes a nine year old will look seven or six. Why? They just aren’t getting enough nutrition.
At the new school we opened up in the community, one of the teachers, Rabia, has experience raising cattle and livestock. And she wanted to make an investment – in time and in energy – to raise some additional livestock at the school so that kids can get access to their milk.
If Rabia was willing to invest her time, we wanted to invest in her!
We gave her a set of goats – which are easy to milk and less wieldy than cattle – with the idea that she’d keep them at the school, providing milk to the kids while at school.
Already, Rabia has become a beloved and trusted member of this small community – she looks out for them, is willing to go the extra mile. Families were hesitant at first to send their kids to school, but because of dedicated teachers like her, now it’s just a part of life here.
The goats and their milk are such a great addition to the school – the kids can learn how to tend to them, too, and they can grab a glass of milk, whenever they want, adding a bump of nutrition to their every day.
Meet Fatima!
Fatima works for Alight in Pakistan as a community mobilizer. A big part of her job involves finding new communities to work with, developing strong relationships with that community, and working jointly to ensure that no child is out of school. Her greatest hope is to bring big, positive changes to the people she meets every day, and especially for young girls who haven’t yet been to school. What inspires her most when she works with communities is how welcoming everyone is. She feels like family – she sees these girls like her own daughters, and hopes that they see her as family, too.
When she’s not out and about, she loves decorating her home, cooking, and hosting people – her next new hobby is to learn how to paint landscapes!
