Taqwa Welfare Organisation decided to set up a school for street children.

The number of street children in Peshawar was unprecedented. Children as young as 3 years old were collecting cardboard and plastic bottles to sell for as little as 30 Rupees a day (10 pence per day). We decided to implement a program to take these little children off the streets.

We contacted each parent and arranged a parent’s evening to discuss the welfare program. Nearly all parents’ concerns were that the children earned money which helped feed their families.

As part of getting the parents to agree with the Taqwa Welfare program, we offered free schooling, uniforms, stationery, books, book bags, and free lunch for every child 5 days a week, as well as free access to doctors and medicine for the children and their immediate families.

A condition was imposed on the families by TWO. If we were to invest in these children, then at no time were these children to go back on the street to collect rubbish again. We then provided a declaration that had to be signed by each parent to agree not to send the children back on the streets and that the children would attend school every day from 8 am till 2 pm.

They all signed before admission was given.

Initially, the school started with 25 street children who signed up within the first 2 months.

Today, 5 months later, the school has reached its capacity of 116 children and is now in the process of acquiring a bigger building to accommodate up to 400 street children, orphans, and poor children.

Waiting families now exceed an additional 50 children until we move to the new school.