I am 16 years old now. I got married last year. My husband is 21 years old and is working abroad as a driver. Since my marriage, I have lived with my in-laws in Shamshatoo. Shamshatoo is in the North Western Frontier Province of Pakistan, close to the Afghan border.
I come from a very poor family. My father words on daily wages in a brick kiln and earns 150 rupees a day, depending on the weather. He works long hours when the weather is good. Rain means no work for him. I have five brothers and four sisters and two mothers. I am the eldest of the girls.
These difficult conditions meant that only three of my elder brothers could go to school. Only one of my brothers completed primary education. There was no way that any of the girls would be able to go to school due to the economic hardship our family faced.
HOPE'87
The primary schools set up by HOPE'87, supported by UNESCO, for children in need have helped poor families in our area, particularly the girls. The free education they offered has enabled my sisters and I, with our parents' permission, to enrol and seek a basic education, starting in 2003.
Accelerated Learning
Since I was an older pupil the teachers put me through an accelerated learning programme for the first two years. Thanks to their help and support, I have now graduated from primary school with distinction. I dream of sending my daughters and sons to high school one day.
Notes
- in-laws - parents of your husband or wife.
- brick kiln - a place where bricks are made for building houses. Kiln = a big oven (for baking the bricks).
- 150 rupees - approximately 1.7 euros, 300 yen.
- primary education - school for 5-11 year olds, or basic reading and writing skills training for older pupils.
- hardship - suffering; difficulty; poverty.
- enrol - join a school; become a member of an school, club etc.
- accelerated - faster than usual; go faster.
Questions
- Does the narrator live (a) alone, or with (b) her parents, (c) her husband's parents, (d) her brothers and sisters?
- How many children do the narrator's parents have?
- How many of her brothers went to primary school?
- How many of them completed primary education?
- What did HOPE'87 set up?
- What is the narrator's dream?
About HOPE'87
Primary Education Schools are being run for Afghan Refugees and Pakistani Children near Shamshatoo, Peshawar, Pakistan. Students are being provided quality education at no cost. Supported by Foundation of UNESCO – Education for Children in need and Austrian Development Agency, project worth of 220,000 €. Starting form July 2006 the schools are supported by a local Pakistani philanthropist for a period of one year. HOPE'87 Shamshatoo Schools Project
David Hurley
Succeed-in-English.com
