Superhands was formed by a group of like-minded British Pakistanis in 2012. Our idea was simple, but life changing: a local school in our native town for children of the poorest families.
We welcomed our first intake of students into the Allama Iqbal School in Dina, Mirpur, in 2012. With the generous support of our donors in the UK and Pakistan, we have since opened schools in Islamgarh, Khari Sharief, Mian Mohammed Town and our fifth school will open in Jatlan, Mirpur in 2020.
Our project has grown but our mission remains the same: to provide a modern, fit-for-purpose education that equips disadvantaged children with the skills necessary to escape poverty and build brighter futures for themselves and their families.
How we make a difference
Pakistan suffers from an acute shortage of public schools, especially in rural areas. Girls in particular are likely to be denied access to education. Superhands is tackling on a local scale the problems of illiteracy and poverty that blight millions of young lives, putting the tools for change into the hands of the most needy.
A third of girls across the country are not attending primary school, compared with 21% of boys. By the ninth grade, just 13% of girls are still in school.*
Education means the difference between a life of subsistence and one of opportunity. Every £1 spent on education yields £10-15 in growth over a person’s lifetime in higher earnings. We share a belief that education is a child’s right, not a privilege.
Education is transformative: every child we educate is a future changed.
*Human Rights Watch 2018, Shall I Feed My Daughter or Educate Her?