Dear Friends of FLAME,

Here are the details of various activities performed by FLAME since our last letter of May-08. We deeply regret the long gap in updating you we were busy with several new projects which had to be finished by a certain deadline and for which funds had to be raised. But we are happy to inform you that we have successfully achieved our target.

Qamar-ul-Islam school:

At the request of the deputy Nazim of City District Government Karachi (CDGK) Mrs. Nasreen Jalil we adopted the “Qamar-ul-Islam Government Boys and Girls Primary and Secondary School”, Punjab Colony Shara-e-Jamin (near Submarine Chowk) Clifton, Karachi. This school has 700 girls and boys from Class I to matriculation studying in two shifts. It is located on one of the main traffic arteries of Karachi and is right adjacent to a big cricket ground.

The CDGK wanted FLAME to improve its physical condition and educational standard. Unfortunately we found the school in much more rundown and dilapidated condition than anticipated by us. Nevertheless, in keeping with FLAME’s philosophy neither to break the commitment made nor to be daunted by the challenges faced, we got going. Apart from the difficult task of raising about Rs. 4 million (USD 55,555/£ 29,200) in a short period, the other challenge was to finish the work in less than 6 weeks, before the reopening of the school after summer holidays on 4th August.

We are happy to inform you that the complete renovation of the entire school building including a new water tank, a new 250 seat auditorium with a large stage, a new class room, a new biology lab, a new 10 computer lab and library, 3 new UPS for 3 floors, repair and renovation of approximately 250 class room students desks (please see the details in the attached diagram and the cost of repair work)

Our objective is not only to improve the physical condition of the school but to bring about a mental change among the teacher and students create a new educational environment and enhance the standard of education to the level of the best private schools in Karachi. We also plan to introduce such extracurricular activities as debate, literary competition, plays and dramas, mind games, indoor sports etc.

The condition of the school in which we found it can be seen in the pictures given below.

our next newsletter, we will send you the pictures of the repaired, renovated and refurbished school.

Vocational Training Centers (V.T.Cs):

After nearly one year we have finally managed to complete the construction of two V.T.C.s, one in Cattle Colony Landi and the other in Baldia Town (Industrial Workers Colony) S.I.T.E area Karachi. These 2 VTCs will start operating very shortly and will be formally launched in a month’s time. We plan to impart training to approximately 250 – 300 grown up girls and boys of FLAME schools and some from the locality in such professions as electric work, plumbing, driving (for men) and tailoring, embroidery and beautician training (for women).

These 2 projects each built at a cost of over Rs. 1 million have been funded by local Pakistanis. We are very happy to start vocational training and depending on the success of these 2, we plan to open atleast 8 – 10 more within the next 12 months so that we can train over a thousands girls and boys in technical skills which would enable them to earn a decent living and develop self respect which will help reduce a number of social ills that afflict our poor and underprivileged compatriots.

New Schools:

We already had 15 schools in Baluchistan (10 in Hub and 5 in Khuzdar). During the last 3 months we were able to add 10 new schools for the underprivileged children of Khuzdar, Baluchistan. With this addition the number of FLAME schools in Baluchistan has gone up to 25. Our Project Manager Education has visited each one of these schools twice to make sure the presence of the teachers and the students and to check the quality of education. This was in addition to the regularly visits by our permanent Field Coordinators.

The total number of FLAME schools all over Pakistan now stands at 177 which is 3 less than 180 that we had reported in our last newsletter. The reason for this is that we had to close some schools which were below our minimum criteria of quality and number of children. However the closing of 3 schools has not significantly reduced the total number of children which continues to be over 6500 in FLAME schools. However this number will go up to 7000 once we have added the 700 students of “Qamar-ul-Islam school”.

Gustavo Mana’s donation:

We are very grateful to Mr. Gustavo Mana from Argentina for his generous donation of USD 10,000 for the opening of 10 new schools which we have done (5 in Khuzdar and 5 in Baldia Town). We are not only grateful to him but also to Ms. Fatima Najam and Mr. Farid Haq who introduced FLAME to him. We also thank them for the great work they are doing with FLAME’s support to MESCO schools in the Bandra, Mumbai (India).

We hope that other friends of FLAME will be inspired by them in finding other generous donors for FLAME.

Two Weeks Teachers Training:

Training of some 75 out of 90 teachers of FLAME schools in Karachi was completed on 23rd July 2008. About 15 could not attend for personal reasons.

The new feature of this years training was 10 days teaching of the text book lessons in Mathematics and English given by very capable master trainers on a voluntary bases. All the teachers were so satisfied that they want this kind of training to be repeated every 6 months. The master trainers Ms Syeda Saleha, Ms. Sayeda Saleem Alam and Ms. Ayesha Shabab Hussain have agreed to repeat the teaching and for this purpose we may give an extraordinary one week holiday in winter.

Picnic:

FLAME in cooperation with the City District Government Karachi (CDGK) arranged a picnic to Manora beach for 250 students and teachers of its schools in Landhi and Baldia Town on the occasion of “Hamara Karachi”. FLAME arranged for the whole trip which included food, drinks and the bus. The children spent half a day picnicking.

Another group of 120 students were taken on a trip to National Museum. It was fun filled learning experience for them.

FLAME would like to do this more often but needs a bus, which if donated by any of its friends will facilitate it in achieving this purpose.

FLAME school student and teachers to a boat to Manora.

Finally, we would like to inform friends of FLAME that our London Chapter held a premier of a new Indian movie called “Shoot on Sight” in London on 23rd July. It required a great deal of hard work on the part of each of FLAME Trustees in London but their hard work paid off as the event turned out to be a great success. Our heartiest congratulations to all the London Chapter Trustees. May their future efforts to raise funds for FLAME continue to be equally successful.

We regret that this letter has become rather long because of the extraordinary activities during this period.

Yours Sincerely,

Safi Uddin Razi

Resource Manager
FLAME