A Ray of Hope

The Story of Iqra (Matric Batch 2020, Six Years Later)

2020: A Brilliant Girl, Left Behind

Iqra Lal Dino passed her Matric without attending school regularly and without any support. Her results proved what she was capable of. Then her education stopped. Not because she failed, but because her parents married her at just 14. Six years passed.

Today: She Came Back as a Mother

That same girl walked into my school. Not as a student, but as a mother, holding her son’s hand. “Ma’am, he is my son. Please admit him to your school.”

I looked at her and remembered her instantly. “Iqra, can we meet once before you leave?”

“Yes, Ma’am. I met you once in a counselling session in our village. That’s why I came. I wanted to meet you and talk about my son’s studies.”

In my office: “What About Your Own Study?”

I asked her what she had been doing since Matric. She answered with a sad smile.

“Now I have three children, and I have no way to continue. After marriage and babies, I have no permission.”

Her words broke my heart. I sat with her alone and counselled her. I told her there is a place where she can stand: Educating Beyond Barriers (EBB), and that I would support her.

“Ma’am, I cannot pay any fees. My husband is a fisherman. He cannot afford my education.”

“Do not worry about expenses. Take my number. If even a small spark for education is left in your heart, come to me. I will definitely support you.”

One small spark was enough.

48 days later: The Message

A WhatsApp message arrived. “Hello Ma’am, my name is Iqra. I have made up my mind that I want to educate myself more. Can you please help me?”

“Yes, of course. Come to school in the morning. I will take your documents, and I will pay your fees.”

The day it became real: The Hug

She came again. She submitted her last document, and with tears in her eyes she said:

“Ma’am, thank you for this one hope. For six years I was hopeless. I never thought I would get one more chance. You are the hope. EBB is the hope. My dream is coming true, because I want to become a teacher like you.”

Then she asked, “Can I hug you?” I said yes. She hugged me and wept. That hug was the biggest award for EBB. This is what EBB is for: to give hope when all hope is finished, and to remove barriers through technology.

Educate a girl, transform a generation.

Founder Sana Malik, EBB Family

This image has been AI-edited to protect the identity of the people shown.