For over 20 years, Developments in Literacy has been providing low-cost, high-quality education to thousands of deserving children across Pakistan—currently educating some 28,000 students in over 130 schools. Today our students work in fields as diverse as medicine, engineering, and public service, charting the future of their country. We believe that no child in Pakistan, no matter how poor, should be denied access to a life-changing education. All children should have an equal opportunity to reach their full potential and contribute toward the socioeconomic betterment of their communities. To ready them for academic and vocational success in the twenty-first century, DIL’s student-centered model schools aim to cultivate creativity, skill in communication, critical thinking, and a collaborative spirit. Many out-of-school children are trapped in a cycle of poverty, vulnerable to exploitation. Living in underserved areas deprives children of access to basic resources, erecting numerous structural barriers to their growth. In Pakistan, only 14% of students make it to high school, more than half of women are illiterate, and fewer than half of all girls are enrolled in school. Education is the key to empowering young girls—lifting children, families, and entire communities out of poverty and transforming society.
