Idara Al-Khair – a warm home to thousands who aspire to be the future of Pakistan, a bright beam of light in the midst of profound darkness. Al-Khair is not merely a school; it is the amalgamation of an idea and a mission, envisioned and hatched by our honorable president, Mr Mazahir, who saw hope in what majority had labeled as a waste of space. The courage with which he never let the candle of hope and belief extinguish laid foundation to what everyone knows today as Idara Al-Khair. In today’s era, where education is sold to the highest bidders rather than being imparted unconditionally, people who cannot afford an education are confined to poverty and negligence. The initial steps on the tough road to a changed society were taken by Mr Mazahir, who decided to start from Mustafa colony, a hub of all sorts of evil. The place reeked of gambling and theft, and served as a breeding ground for all sorts of criminal activities. The children in this area, who had already begun to get affected, had to be kept away from becoming skilled thieves and gamblers. With the gloom of illiteracy and corruption threatening to triumph, Mr Mazahir walked in bearing the torch of hope and education. Initially, he was faced with major opposition against this transition, which was totally unparalleled to the people’s way of thinking; the idea that education can improve the living conditions of people was entertained as highly unpopular. When parents of children did not yield to the idea of their children receiving education, Mr Mazahir took it upon himself to budge their minds by getting involved with a few children and educating them. This earned him the trust of five children. He bought a hut and started teaching his new, though scant in number, students. He soon discovered that these students were not only hungry for education but were also highly insightful. The meek flame which could barely light up the murkiness soon gained magnitude in its warmth and intensity; word spread, more students joined in, and within a span of six months Mr Mazahir found himself in need of more huts as a single hut was too small to house the new number of students, which had climbed to and crossed an incredible one hundred. Apart from the task of acquiring more huts, more teachers had to be recruited to cater to the ever increasing population of students. Mr Mazahir bought neighboring huts to expand his school while relocating the resident families to other areas of the colony. The matter of more teachers, however, was still unaddressed. This was the more troublesome issue, since teachers were not willing to cross over to the terror-stricken Mustufa colony. Fortune has always paved its way to favor the dauntless, however. Inspired by Mr Mazahir’s painstaking efforts, some teachers eventually did join hands in his mission to educate the neglected facet of Pakistan. Another affair to be tackled was to introduce girls to the classroom so as to break the stereotypical mindset which implied that only the male can shoulder the responsibility of serving as the breadwinner to a family. Mr Mazahir met with the heads of families and preached to them the importance of education for both the genders. The result proved to be slow yet fruitful; girls soon started attending classes, and turned out to have a studious streak more pronounced than boys. The continual preaching consequently led to an influx of girls into classrooms. The next ultimatum was to collect the funds required to convert this collection of huts into a proper school, which Mr Mazahir met bravely. From waiting for hours on end under the glaring sun to meet business men and investors to using his power of persuasion to convert their incredulity into belief, he continued on the journey of this arduous venture. Slowly and gradually, enough funds were collected, and in 1990, the infrastructure of the school that we see standing today was realized. The 1,300 square yards covered by huts were transformed into a 78-room building having state-of-the-art classrooms, laboratories, cafeteria and every fundamental requirement of a proper school. At present, more than 200 students apply at Idara Al-Khair annually to start their voyage on the path to knowledge. The school possesses skilled teachers for all grade levels from primary to intermediate, and has left no stone unturned to ensure that students find their vision. Every year, the family of Idara Al-khair grows ever so strong with new students being admitted every year. We truly hope that this initiative becomes a never-ending process so that no child is deprived of education and the literacy rate of Pakistan goes up thousands of notches.

OUTCOME

The outcome of the seed planted by Mr Mazahir has been nothing short of inspiring. The rate of criminals being produced by Mustufa colony has fallen sharply, while the rate of fresh, young blood being discovered has reached new heights. Some students have secured admissions into universities after their intermediate. Furthermore, parents now encourage their children to continue their studies. The literacy rate of females has increased, and drug and child abuse have been eradicated from the area. Moreover, child labor has plummeted to a great extent, and living standards of families have improved since their heir now possess decent education and can land respectful jobs. The sole reason behind this drastic transfiguration is education. Education is the sole catalyst for changing lives. The colony suffering from erosion due to crimes harbored potential; all it needed was a nudge in the right direction, which came in the form of Idara Al Khair.