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Afkarech Female Network & Think Tank has launched a Ramadan initiative to pay tuition fees for girls who cannot continue their schooling due to their families falling on hard times during Covid-19.
My Class by Afkarech aims to pay school fees for the months of April, May and June and has partnered up with institutes such as the Pakistan School Bahrain, Philippine School, The Asian School Bahrain and the Bangladesh School Bahrain, among others, to ensure support.
Mariam Alammadi, Afkarech president, said: “Every Ramadan, we select a cause that aligns with our goals as a female think tank as well as with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG).
“Afkarech has always believed that education is the best tool to change the world. For those who have been directly impacted by Covid-19, school fees are a considerable expense, especially when you have lost your job.
“We believe in this truth; educate a girl and she will change the world. By ensuring our girls get uninterrupted education, we can build a strong foundation for a better tomorrow. An educated woman has a brighter future with the ability and knowledge to rise above poverty and malnutrition in order to lead a more productive life. Her education helps raise the standard of living for herself, her family, her community and ultimately the world at large.”
They have committed themselves to helping 12 families but are aware that there are others in desperate need as well.
“The more money we raise, the more families we would be able to help - which ultimately helps us achieve our goal of ensuring that more girls receive proper education,” added Mariam. “We are really happy that we are able to help all communities and nationalities on this lovely island. We have included female students from Bahrain, India, Pakistan, the Philippines and Bangladesh as beneficiaries of this initiative.”
They just started the initiative a very short while ago and have already raised BD660 so far, mainly through their members.
“We are very grateful to everyone who donated to this cause,” Mariam said. “We are still a long way off our goal but we know that people realise the importance of the initiative. What we have seen from our past charitable projects is the community spirit of the Kingdom of Bahrain.”
A BD10 donation helps one child, BD20 helps two girls and BD30 helps three.
Mariam said: “Your altruism will go a long way as these young ones will be able to pay their fees, stay in the same school and get their school reports. You can make a direct impact on their lives and we thank you in advance for your generosity.”
The initiative will run till the end of Ramadan to ensure payment of school fees just after Eid.
Mariam added: “What better Eid gift could we give any family who is anxious about their inability to pay these fees? This will surely be a huge weight lifted off their shoulders.”
Donations can be made directly into their bank account. For further details, email info@afkarech.com and follow @afkarech on Instagram.
Scan the QR Code below with your BenefitPay app to make a donation to the programme today.
