Hoshyar Foundation Project Report:
al-Hamd Free Educational School Prepared for: Board of Directors, Hoshyar School / Foundation

Prepared by: Zaid Hassan August 24, 2007 Proposal number: 1

Executive Summary

Abstract

This report was prepared to give a detailed account of our visit to al-Hamd School in Baagarian Village in the outskirts of
Lahore. As instructed by Dr. Carla Petievich of the Hoshyar Foundation, we – Shahnaz, Hassan, Uncle Ijaz, and myself – first visited the Tanveer Family at their residence in Green Town locality in Lahore and subsequently visited their
educational facility in Baagarian Village.

The visit took place on August 1, 2007. Our main findings included a better understanding and motivations of the
Tanveer Family in running the school, the resources they are committing in the process, the current school facility and its
provisions, prospective expansion and relocation of the school building, and further enhancements of the establishment,
etc.

The investigation led us all to believe that the work being done by the Tanveer Family is admirable, and that the
assistance by the Hoshyar Foundation will unquestionably help the children in striving towards a better future.

The Report

We visited al-Hamd School in-person on August 1, 2007 and met all relevant individuals affiliated with the institution.
We left for the Tanveer Family around nine in the morning and arrived at their house in Green Town after a 45-minute
drive. Thereafter, we were warmly welcomed and invited by Mrs. Tanveer to their house. Most of the substantial
discussion regarding the purpose, goals, and objectives of the school took place at this time.

The Tanveer Family consists of Mr. Tanveer, who is a technician in electronics. His wife, Mrs. Tanveer is the principal of al-
Hamd School and runs the institution by serving both as a headmistress and a part-time teacher. Both of them have
three children (two sons and a daughter). The eldest son, Mr. Ghazanfar Ali, is about to complete his education and is
mainly running the school.

At the discussion, we were informed that the Tanveer Family funds the current school out of their own pocket and
resources. The primary reason they run the school is purely altruistic and for the complete benefit of children. As cited,
they get "a source of happiness and satisfaction" to see children studying, that otherwise would have been forced by fate to work for their families. They receive fulfillment by "fighting against illiteracy."

During the conversation about the importance of the school to both the Tanveer Family and residents of Baagarian
Village, Mrs. Tanveer mentioned how there were instances when the school came very close to a point of termination.
She highlighted the fact that women of the village themselves visited and pleaded her for the continuation of the school
and their services. According to her, the local women even went to the extent of not letting their husbands know about
the situation. And to strengthen their commitment, these women even searched for, and found, a school building for the
institution to run on!

After about an hour of discussing the aforementioned material, we left Green Town for Baagarian Village and the al-Hamd
School, distanced at around eight miles from the Tanveer House. Accordingly, it took us around 40 minutes to drive up to
the village as well. It took this amount of time, in particular, because the roads leading up to the village were not wellconstructed, and rain obstructed the pathways even further. This point is mentioned here to highlight a current lack of
proper infrastructure and absence of similar basic physical and organizational structures provided by the state, e.g.,
electricity, sanitation, etc.

After entering the village, we were first shown the site where the new school is expected to be constructed. The site area
of the school is roughly estimated to be around 4-kanals. The construction of a new building is thus expected to allow for
a better place of schooling for students with much improved facilities.

Following this inspection, we walked in the village to see the currently rented school building. The walk up to this
structure took about ten minutes, as we had to meander through small streets and some very inquisitive villagers!
During this walk, my first personal impression was the unaffected state of the village. Life appeared so simple and pure. It
all seemed so far away from the hustle & bustle of Lahore, and all other factors affiliated with big cities and urban life. It
was very special to see things almost untouched by politics, economics, and ultra complex concerns of our daily lives.

The pictures provided herewith are a testament to the aforementioned observation.

The rented school building was located in a small street behind two tiny shops. At that point, the school was in summer
recess, and thus the building was instead rented out to tenant families. There were three rooms in this building, currently
allocated to hold about 90 students per classroom (this figure cannot be authenticated because Mr. Ghazanfar Ali
provided varying figures at different instances). In addition, the windows were small-sized, there was only one blackboard
in one of the rooms, but they did have electricity.

Following that, we walked through the village to get back to the main road where we had parked our vehicles. All
throughout, it took us around three hours to complete the visit, including tour of the new construction site, and the
current school building.

Overall Impressions & Observations

In conjunction with both my parents (Shahnaz & Hassan), I believe that the school is providing a wonderful opportunity to
individuals in pressing need of educational support.
Unlike other places, there is no provision of education through any other means for the villagers of Baagarian Village.
Accordingly, al-Hamd is the only source of schooling and learning.

Overall, a vote from the Board of Directors of the Hoshyar Foundation should be based upon a careful consideration of
the following underlying reasons:

• The school allows for education of boys and girls at critical learning ages
• The school provides education as the sole educational entity with no other alternatives
• The school wages a pivotal struggle against impoverishment & prevalent ignorance
• The school provides a platform to generate educated girls, and therefore, educated mothers that will more likely be
  geared to produce better generations
• The school creates a small pocket of healthy nourishment and enlightenment for the students
  Ultimately, al-Hamd School and Hoshyar Foundation are tools that can create considerable commotion in terms of
  reshaping current patterns and helping stabilize Pakistan and its future. Most importantly, the school can be the first step in many steps Pakistani society has to take in order to move towards becoming a better participant in our world.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Where is the school located?
A: The school is located in Baagarian Village near the Green Town locality in Lahore. It is important to note that Green
Town is in proper Lahore, whereas the village is in its outskirts, and approximately 7.5 miles from Green Town.

Q: Where is the new school going to be?
A: The al-Hamd School is situated in the village in a small rented house. The new school is going to be located in an
open area located at the entrance-path of the village. This location will allow for construction of a building equipped to
provide better classrooms and much improved facilities for the students. It is about ten-minute walk away from the
current school.

Q: How many classrooms are there? And how many standards?
A: There are three classrooms. In terms of standards, the school is officially listed to provide education from kindergarten
up until the tenth grade. However, due to limitation of resources, the school only offers education up to the 7th grade.

Q: How many students in a class?
A: According to Mr. Ghazanfar Ali, the statements ranged from 90 - 150 students in each class.

Q: What facilities and plans are there for girls in classes 6th and above?
A: Due to a strong demand by parents, the school is trying to come up with computer courses and sewing lessons for
girls.

Q: Is the Tanveer Family in the process of buying 4-kanals of land?
A: Mr. Ghazanfar Ali has plotted out and projected a plan to buy the 4-kanals of land. At this point, he awaits further
directions from the Hoshyar Foundation.

Q: What are kanals? What are some other Pakistani measures?
A: Kanals are a land measure used in Pakistan, standardized under British rule to equal one-eighth acre.

In other measurements:
• 1 kanal = 5620.652 sq.ft
• 1 marla = 281.0326 sq.ft
• 1 acre = 44965.21 sq.ft
• 1 kanal = 0.125 acres
• 1 marla = 160.0 acres

Q: How many teachers are there? What are their qualifications?
A: There are three teachers (excluding Mrs. Tanveer who volunteers at times). Two of these teachers have completed
matriculation degrees while the other teacher has completed the bachelors degree.

Q: Will al-Hamd School sign the memo of understanding with Hoshyar Foundation?
A: Yes.

Contact Information

About: Hoshyar Foundation was established in 2006 by Carla Petievich and Kathryn Hansen. It is a secular, nonprofit,
U.S.-based organization whose purpose is to raise and distribute funds in support of human empowerment
through female education.|

For further inquiries, contact:

Carla Petievich
Executive Director
512-420-9649
email: cpetievich@hoshyar.org

Hoshyar Foundation
P.O. Box #28502
Austin, TX 78755