Schools for Peshawar victims: Building for peace

Zaki Patel partners with TCF to open up 141 schools across Pakistan for each innocent life lost in Peshawar massacre

On December 16, 2014, Peshawar was struck by a heinous act of terrorism. One hundred and thirty-two children were massacred in cold blood, along with several others. The attack ignited a wave of outrage amongst civil society members who vowed to unite against the Taliban and those sympathetic towards them. Amidst this wave of emotion, Zaki Patel, an average Pakistani, decided to take a more concrete step and pledged to open up a school for each life lost and to bring education to areas that might not have access to it otherwise.

It was after Patel came across a tweet about how the best revenge would be to build 141 schools — one in the name of each survivor — that he decided to turn this noble thought into a reality. “There were a lot of people lashing out on social media, but no one was doing something [substantial about it],” says Patel. Without wasting any time, he created a webpage and requested people to come forward and transform their anger into something positive and constructive. “I had no idea there would be such a quick and overwhelming response to the idea. At most, I expected 200 people to sign up, but within three days we had 15,000 responses,” he adds.



It was at this moment Patel realised that people were actually willing to contribute and support his cause. He approached The Citizens Foundation (TCF) and pitched the idea to them and asked for their assistance with the project. With TCF’s already established presence in the education sector and pre-existing infrastructure, they obliged instantly and agreed to collaborate. The initiative has since turned into an active, citizen-led web movement. “People are coming forward, contacting us and pledging resources,” shares Patel. “Glass and paint factory owners are willing to help build the schools. There is a theatre group willing to pledge proceedings from a certain number of their shows. Organisations [outside Pakistan] are contacting us to say that they would like to help train teachers. People are willing to help in any way they can,” he adds. The website has its own donations tab that directly transfers proceedings to TCF and there is also an option to contribute via cheques. After funds are collected, TCF will use their expertise to organise and execute the project, Zaki explains.

The ‘141 schools for peace’ project is steadily gaining momentum and has entered the execution phase. TCF spokesperson Ayesha Khatib says that for each school to be fully functional it would take nearly a year or a year-and-a-half. The completion of the project depends on how fast the pledges for donations come through, after which the land has to be sought from land owners to get the construction work under way. It will take approximately six months to erect each building, she says.

So far, TCF has received commitments for two schools and their construction process has already begun. Furthermore, TCF is encouraging support groups to come forward and join in spreading the word globally to help the project secure more funds. “This is a defining moment in Pakistan’s history,” says the CEO of TCF, Syed Asaad Ayub Ahmad. “With the formidable challenges facing the nation, we passionately believe that only education has the power to enlighten minds, instill citizenship and unleash the potential of every Pakistani,” he adds.

Hurmat Majid is a subeditor at the Express Tribune. She tweets @bhandprogramme

Published in The Express Tribune, Sunday Magazine, February 1^st, 2015.