BTF Family Barset:
“Life without parents is unimaginable, but my strong will and the support of BTF has made me able to cope up with the hardships of life” (Shazia, 2021)
Shazia Wali belongs to one of the remote villages of Phander, called Barset. Shazia has seen many heart-breaking challenges in her life. Unfortunately, she lost her parents at a young age. So, being the elder sister, she had to take responsibility for her four siblings and home at an early age. Fortunately, with the generous help of the Bibi Thanjur Foundation, Shazia and her siblings could continue their education which gave a new dimension to their life. BTF has been supporting Shazia and her four siblings in their educational endeavors. The foundation has been taking care of their academic necessities and tuition fee.
Shazia Wali is in grade 11, and her college is in Teru, which takes a couple of hours from Barset. However, the harsh winters and snow avalanches could not stop Shazia from continuing her education. Shazia aims to serve her community in any capacity in the future. Her strong will, high aims, and BTF support will make her dream a reality.
Story of Noor Bano from a remote village Teru
Bibi Thanjur foundation is a commendable approach towards improving the lives of deserving students by supporting them in their educational endeavors.
Noor Bano, hailing from Teru Phander, is living a challenging life but with a constellation in her eyes. It is a bright constellation of an enduring dream to become a successful medical practitioner and a lucid constellation of a deep desire to help her village’s people. Neither the harsh climatic conditions nor the financial challenges hinder Noor Bano from setting such an inspiring purpose in life. Noor Bano has always been fascinated by education and learning; she wants to devote the rest of her life to filling her lap with knowledge. Noor Bano is an avid reader; she loves to read the work of Dr. Mohammad Allama Iqbal. She had her primary and secondary schooling from AKES, Diamond Jubilee School of Teru, where Noor Bano remained an academically outstanding student. Fortunately, with the Bibi Thanjur foundation’s support, Noor Bano has recently joined the college in pre-medical, and she showed immense enthusiasm towards the new quest of her life.
Noor Bano life’s sole purpose is to become a medical practitioner and help the community’s people and support her family. She yearned to run her clinic for needy people who can have free treatment. Indeed, Noor Bano has an inspiring dream for which she has been struggling.
Waseem Akram BTF Scholar in AKHSS Gilgit
“I am indeed so grateful for the financial help of Bibi Thanjur Foundation. This foundation has given me a great chance to pursue my education without any financial hurdles” (Waseem, 2021).
Bibi Thanjur Foundation has been supporting underprivileged students of Phander for the last three years. The foundation aims to erase the financial obstacles of the students so that they could pursue their visions. The foundation’s main objective is to make education accessible to every individual regardless of financial barriers. Among many scholars, Waseem Akram is one of the beneficiaries of the foundation. Waseem Akram belongs to a remote village of Phander called Serbal. He is currently studying in grade 10 at Aga Khan Higher Secondary School, Gilgit. Being a part of a middle-class family, Waseem faced many challenges in his educational endeavors. However, with Bibi Thanjur Foundation’s generous help, Waseem is now experiencing an excellent academic quest. The foundation supports Waseem in covering his school’s tuition fee.
Waseem wants to be a doctor because he thinks through this noble profession, he can serve humanity. The foundation would support Waseem to make his dream a reality because BTF aims to fulfill students’ goals. Indeed, it is true that hard work pays off. Due to the hard work, Waseem scored 88% in his SSC-I board exams. The foundation hopes to see Waseem reaching the immeasurable heights of success in the future too.
Shabnum Bano BTF Scholar, ECD Certification in Gilgit
“My father always wanted to see me having a good educational journey, but unfortunately, he passed away in 2018. Being the elder daughter of a single mother, I have been taking care of many responsibilities” (Shabnam Bano).
Shabnam Bano belongs to one of the districts of Gilgit, called Ghizer. She had her primary and secondary education from Diamond Jubilee Gulaghmuli. Later she did her matriculation in science from Karakoram International Board. In 2018, Shabnam completed her graduation and got admission to Karakoram International University, Gilgit, with a significant scholarship from Central Asia Institute. However, the government denied the respective scholarship, and Shabnam could not join her university quest. There was not any financial support for Shabnam after her father’s death due to cancer. The family spent the entire income on her father’s treatment, and they sold some of their lands to fulfill the medical expenses. Therefore, Shabnam could not continue her education.
Shabnam is the elder one among her four siblings, and there is no vital income source in her family. Fortunately, with Bibi Thanjur Foundation’s enduring support, she has got an internship opportunity in an ECD (early childhood education) course. This opportunity will help her to find employment prospects in the next few years.
Shabnam wanted to complete her master’s, which was the dream of her father. The foundation would help her in any modest means to fulfill her inspiring dream.
Contributions from Azra Nisar – Content Writer at BTF Communication and Media Team
Chambelly Sifat, BTF Scholar in AKHSS Hunza
“BTF was like a spark of hope in the darkest days of my life” (Chambelly, 2023).
Chambelly Sifat belongs to a remote village in Yasin. Her family moved to Gilgit when she was young. She completed her middle school in Gilgit from a private institution. In 2020, she faced the hardest day of her life when she lost her father to a heart attack. Life afterward was full of challenges for her. She has 5 siblings and 4 of them are enrolled in different private institutions. A portion of her house in Gilgit is rented by tenants and is the only source of income for her family. She is currently a grade 12th pre-medical student at AKHSS, Hunza. After the demise of her father, her family faced a lot of financial hurdles. It became practically impossible for her family to support her and her sibling’s educational expenses. It was only in 2021 that she came to know about BTF from one of her teachers. BTF has been supporting her with her tuition fee ever since.
She is a consistent academic performer and takes active participation in extracurricular activities and community services. She aims at becoming a heart specialist. She has a deep desire to promote women’s empowerment and eradicate gender discrimination from her region. She appreciates BTF’s support and hopes to contribute back to the foundation and community in the future. The foundation wishes her to reach the pinnacle of success.
