Karachi, Pakistan

WITH THE CITIZENS  FOUNDATION

Why are we here?

With a population of over 14 million, Karachi is Pakistan’s largest city. By launching here, we believed that success in our program had the potential to make an impact on a very large scale. We felt confident because in Karachi we had the opportunity to partner with two highly-regarded and experienced non-profits, The Citizens Foundation and SOS Hermann Gmeiner School. Both organizations work to uplift the underprivileged segments of society through education.

What are we doing?

In 2017, we partnered with The Citizens Foundation (TCF) on a joint pilot program with 240 kindergarten, 1st and 2nd  grade children at a TCF school. We used “best-in-class” digital curriculum from Footsteps2Brilliance to teach English. This makes up for the shortage of high-quality English teachers, as those with fluency in English are often drawn to higher-paying jobs outside of the field of education. 

In September 2018, we partnered with SOS Children's Villages of Pakistan to initiate a digital program in an SOS school. Located in Malir Town, Karachi, the school has an enrollment of 1,600 students. Of these, 134 children, aged five to ten years, are currently participating in the TTWF initiative. Digital learning is conducted on campus in the morning and afternoon shifts. The current teaching staff of the SOS school has been trained to facilitate the implementation of digital learning. While the TTWF curriculum extends literacy and numeracy skills, children learn other subjects in the traditional method.

What is the impact?

Without exposure to native or fluent English speakers, it is difficult for students to learn how to speak English effectively. Our project with TCF is the first step to empowering these children to one day serve as the connectors between their communities and the world. To date, there are 40 children in the program from kindergarten - 4th grade who have demonstrated great progress in learning English, as well as developing self confidence. The administrators of the school see great promise in our digital program.

What’s next?

As a next step, we can expand our program with TCF by launching a second shift in the existing school, and expanding to all adjoining TCF schools in the area. The plan for the SOS School is to offer our digital program to additional grade levels and also offer the Urdu language in the curriculum.