Rising Star Scholars 2020–2021: Cohorts 1 and 2

The Rising Star Scholarship is for children who complete two to three years at the SKF Learning Center and are ready for a regular school. It covers admission and monthly fees, uniforms, books, stationery, snack money, exam fees and school trips.

Cohort 1 (2020): Hoor ul Ain and Zahoor

Brother and sister from a farming family in Jhang, who moved to Multan where their mother works as house help. Both joined the SKF center in its early days. In September 2020 both passed the admission test for a reputed public school, Hoor ul Ain into grade 5 and Zahoor into grade 4, becoming SKF’s first Rising Stars. In 2021 Zahoor won a Three Star Performance Badge in the International Kangaroo Science Contest, placing 3rd in Multan district and 7th out of 1,864 students in Pakistan.

Cohort 2 (2021): Ujala, Sawera and Kamran

• Ujala joined the center at eight, shy and unable to read. Relatives pressured her family to keep her home because she is a girl. Three years later she came 3rd in her class at a private school, with 452 of 475 marks and the school’s Award of Excellence. Her family now proudly supports her education. She wants to become a teacher.
• Sawera joined with no schooling in March 2018 and now reads and writes confidently in Urdu and English. She scored 89% and came 4th in her grade 3 class.
• Kamran was sent from his village at 11 to work as house help, and came to the center after finishing his chores. In two and a half years he completed the level 5 syllabus and entered grade 5 at a public secondary school. He now visits the center to teach younger children.