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Educating impoverished youth in Pakistan Educating impoverished young Pakistanis is one of hundreds of ways in which Medical Mission Sisters around the world try to be a healing presence to those in need today. In Faisalabad, Pakistan, our Sisters have been involved for several years in an area called Wazirkhanwala. “This was at the request of the parish priest, because it is one of the most depressed areas of the parish, where the majority are daily wage earners, laborers, cleaners, and employed in other low paying jobs,” Sister Iginia John explains. Our Sisters’ survey of the area showed the illiteracy rate was high, and many children were not going to school. Sometimes poverty kept the children away from school, and other times the people did not think education was necessary, especially for girls. Sister Iginia says, “The community also saw this as one of their weaknesses, and a reason for their difficulty in getting better jobs.” In response to this problem, our Sisters made home visits to talk about the value of education, and identified and helped some students who were not able to attend school because of poverty. Additionally, they started an Adult Education Program for students who had never gone to school, or had left school and wished to return.
One 20-year-old woman had studied up to the fourth grade, when she became very sick with tuberculosis. She recently completed the Adult Education Program, and was re-admitted to regular school. Other young people who work many hours each day still make an effort to study regularly.
Our Sisters helped the teacher to understand the underprivileged background of the students, and the difficulties in learning this can bring. Sister Iginia shares, “She tries to encourage even the slowest child. The students respond to her by not being fearful, but by feeling her love and concern.”
Sister adds, “If the students don’t come regularly, I go to the homes and encourage the parents to give their children time to study. This develops a special bond with the students, and they feel that we have real concern for them.”
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