Hello everyone! My name is Zain and I’m joining you from the beautiful valley of Gilgit, Pakistan. I’m from the Alight Pakistan office, and we’ve spent the past few days in the communities of Ishpitdas and Shirot Thingee, talking with them about small projects we can do that might add up to big impact in their lives.
They say the environment and terrain have a bearing on the inhabitants, but this couldn’t be farther from the truth for Gilgit Valley, whose people are kind and hospitable, unlike the jagged and rugged mountainside.
It’s unfortunate that some communities in this valley are still deprived of their basic rights to quality education. Their love for their guests is paralleled only by their love for education – throughout this area, you’ll see girls walking on treacherous roads and climbing steep hills with unwavering resolve on their way to school.
“I have seen my family progress through education. My sons did their graduation and now they are all settled, I want all of the children of this community to get the same opportunity,” says Alam Khan, a senior community elder in Ispitdas, where we’ve set up a non-formal school for primary schoolchildren.
He has generously provided the building for the school because he wants children of the local community, especially girls, to have easy access to education within the community.
While the school will be launched soon, we were there to set up a food safety and nutrition program for the enrolled students. The aim is to provide a reliable and sustainable source of nutrition for students that can aid in combating malnutrition and deficiencies in children that hinder their learning process.
Since the community relies on subsistence farming for livelihoods, they suggested a milking cow for the school that will be looked after by the community and the students. A cow gives 5 liters of milk daily, that can be given directly to the students or made into dairy products.
The parents of the students were delighted with this idea!
They’ve pledged to take good care of her. It will help them save resources, as milk remains a vital part of their diet – most of them have to buy it daily from the market. This will also help boost their access to nutrition too, as a little extra funding can go toward keeping their diets well-rounded!
Meet Zain! 
Hello Hello! I work for Alight Pakistan with the Program Development Team as an Associate. I have a deep interest in poverty alleviation and empowerment programs that can help lift people up, and I was so pleased to be able to help compelte some of these wonderful projects in Gilgit as part of Changemakers team. I am very excited to share these stories and the beauty of Gilgit with you!
