A short account of our work

Every organisation, project or undertaking begins with the vision of one person or a group. In the same way, hundreds of children living in poverty in Pakistan and the Philippines have access to a school thanks to the vision of individuals who felt called to give those with less in their society the chance of an education, knowing that it is one of the best ways to bring about positive change in a community. It is our responsibility to acknowledge their vision and the contribution that led us to the remarkable work we have the privilege of doing today.

Pakistan

Millions of children in Pakistan are forced into child labour because they have no access to schooling owing to their families' financial hardship. Sharif could have become one of them had his parents not believed that education could break the cycle of ignorance and poverty in which the family had lived generation after generation.

Nordic Children's Aid, in partnership with Advancement Through Building and Caring Children's Aid Pakistan, is committed to giving hundreds of children the chance of an education in five day schools and one boarding school in Pakistan. It all began with the vision of Sharif, who believed wholeheartedly that education changes people's lives and has a positive effect on communities.

The late Sharif Allah Ditta was born in 1935 in Chak 96 R/B, into a family facing severe financial hardship, like most of the village. Despite the difficulties, Sharif's parents wanted him to become an educated professional one day and so sent him to the only elementary school in the village. All of Sharif's younger siblings were given the same privilege, but because of financial hardship and a lack of interest they dropped out. Sharif was determined, but after completing every grade the village school offered he thought his schooling was over, because his family could not afford to support further study at a school far from home.

Despite the bleak outlook, Sharif kept praying and hoping that God would open a way for his dream to come true. In time he was offered the chance to continue his studies at a boarding school run by the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Farooqabad. There Sharif received financial assistance with his schooling, but had to work extra on school days and during the holidays to cover his other living costs.

Through his own hard work, the support of generous sponsors and a burning desire to learn, Sharif completed high school. He then married Venus John and the couple had four sons. Alongside a full-time job and family responsibilities, Sharif continued his university studies. Afterwards he was awarded a scholarship to complete a master's degree in the Philippines.

Over his career Sharif served as a teacher, a students' dean, a pastor and finally as president of the church organisation, travelling the world for meetings and conferences. With his success, Sharif and his wife made their children's education a priority, and today they are all well educated; every present and future generation has benefited, and will no doubt continue to benefit, from the chance Sharif was given to be educated. All of this is possible because someone believed in Sharif and gave him the chance to make his dreams come true.

Time to give back

After retiring, Sharif decided to educate the poor children of his community. He founded a small school, funded entirely out of his own pocket, starting with just six pupils. The need was so great that the number soon grew to 65, and at that point Sharif found he could no longer afford to meet all of these pupils' needs. He then contacted his son Maxwell, at that time an English teacher at Borgarholtsskóli in Iceland, and asked for help.

Since 2005 many schools have been built in Pakistan through generous contributions from individuals, businesses and the Icelandic state, and thousands of children have been given the chance of an education. Over the years hundreds of children have graduated and now work as teachers, nurses, pastors, secretaries and bookkeepers, among other professions.

Sharif passed away in 2015, and now his son Maxwell has taken on the task of continuing the work his father began — with your help. Supporters in Iceland continue to help hundreds of children in Pakistan, and for that we are deeply grateful. Much work remains, and we want to encourage our supporters by saying: you are making a difference.

The Philippines

Vicente Y. Oriel, a businessman by profession, decided together with his wife to found a school for poor children in Manapla in 1992. When they realised the scale of the need and how great the demand for help was, Vicente and his wife chose to devote all their time and energy to the needs of these children in the school and in the community.

For ten years, with the help of Korean friends, the school ran smoothly and progress was steady and manageable. In 2002 financial support for the school stopped for unforeseen reasons, and Vicente and his wife were forced to close it, shattering the hopes and dreams of so many children in need.

Maxwell heard about the situation, and in 2007 he visited the Philippines to assess the need and to see how supporters in Iceland could help children in distress. Following that visit the school in Manapla opened its doors again to help poor children in the surrounding communities. Several other schools and projects were also established to help out-of-school youth and poor children and families living in the slums of Bacolod City, Quezon City, Binalbagan and the village of Pahanocoy.

Over the years other committed groups took over the "out-of-school youth" project in Quezon City along with the school in Pahanocoy village and decided to support these projects financially and meet their needs. Families living in the slums of Bacolod City were relocated by the city authorities to an area far from the school, which caused a substantial drop in our student numbers and eventually led to the school's closure.

Today the school in Binalbagan is fully operational with both junior and senior high school levels and helps over 300 children in need. The school's management is working on plans to establish a vocational department so that students can enter the labour market as skilled workers. We want to thank all of our supporters for making it possible for us to keep helping these deserving children.