Sehrish Shafqat

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Located in an urban slum of Rawalpindi, Nai Abadi town lacks basic amenities such as a sewerage system, safe drinking water, proper roads, gas supply, health care etc. To survive, most of the inhabitants, including women and children, are involved in demanding daily labor. Hence, it took a lot of convincing on part of the teachers and DIL-ABES staff to get parents to send their children to the local DIL-ABES Community School, considered an oasis for school going children in this completely neglected town.

Sehrish Shafqat along with her three brothers works daily on a “Khaddi” (hand loom), after attending the DIL-ABES Community school, to support the family of nine including her parents. They also embroider shirts that require 12 hours of labor per shirt. Each shirt earns them a paltry sum of 100 to 150 rupees ($1.72 to $2.59). Extremely enthusiastic about her studies, Sehrish does not miss a day of school despite her many responsibilities. “Education is the only thing that will give me a chance to improve my future,” she says with a smile.

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