• We work through dedicated local staff who stand out as respected representatives of the regions where Barakat programs are housed. Barakat programs in Pakistan are our oldest and the staff we have here is experienced and knowledgeable about how to run the organization. Ms. Sumera Sahar, who is currently Country Director, served as Principal of Ersari Elementary School for nine years prior to her promotion. She and her team have seen the evolution of Barakat Programs and are well-respected by the school staff as well as the parents of the students. Together they are responsible for encouraging female attendance to Barakat's schools in the region, by winning over the trust of the parents as also by being good role-models.

• Barakat works by using innovative solutions to meet challenging issues, like girls' education. Girls' education is a real challenge amongst the refugee community of Afghanistan, who tend to become more, not less protective, of their women in a foreign country. Consequently, Barakat has initated programs that are directed specifically to relieve the anxities of the parents and to reassure them about their ward's safety. Evening School is held in all three Barakat schools in Attock. It is staffed by female teachers only and has flexible timings separate from co-ed school in the morning. This has made real impact and little-by-little the attitudes of the refugee communities in Pakistan are becoming more relaxed and have more 'give' in them than before.

• Barakat works as an integrated whole with few breaks in communication - either physical or cultural. Channels of communication between Barakat staff in Attock, Pakistan and staff in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA are always open - not only because Barakat's Program Director is fluent in the local language, Urdu, but also because this is an essential part of Barakat's work philosophy.

• Barakat projects are the raison d'être for our existence - we will support them from inception through their lifetime. Pakistan, like India, has a growing population with many unfulfilled needs that cannot be met entirely by governmental efforts. Though our efforts in Pakistan are currently directed towards the flood of refugees from Pakistan, we intend to maintain our programs in Pakistan even after their departure. We would like to use our experience and resources in Pakistan to serve the disadvantaged citizens of the country. At the same time, we will keep up our commitment to the refugee population in the country for as long as a need exists, and again, on their return to Afghanistan they will have access to Barakat programs.

Refugees do not take basic education for granted; instead, they look upon it as a joy and privilege

In Pakistan Barakat has been working with the refugee population from Afghanistan by providing them with educational opportunities. The Government of Pakistan is struggling to provide access to quality education to its own citizens, and cannot take on the additional responsibility of providing the same for refugees. Barakat has stepped-in to meet this need with the following programs:

• Ersari Elementary School
• Barakat Elementary School
• Barakat Primary School
• Evening Schools for Girls

The landscape in Punjab, Pakistan is identical to that of Punjab, India