When Bhagwani moved from the city of Mithi to a rural village after getting married, one thing immediately stood out to her: boys were going to school, but girls were not.
“I felt very sad,” she recalls. “Girls have just as much right to education as boys do.”
Instead of attending school, many girls in the village spent their days doing household chores and working in the fields. Some had never even held a pencil, while others had already grown older without ever entering a classroom.
Raised by a widowed mother after losing her father at just two years old, Bhagwani understood first-hand the challenges girls face in accessing education. Although her mother had never attended school herself, she remained determined that her children would learn.
“My mother was completely uneducated, but she still sent us to school,” Bhagwani says.
Alongside her studies, Bhagwani helped support her family through sewing, embroidery and household work. Despite the challenges she faced growing up, she continued her education and eventually completed a BSc in Biology from the University of Sindh. Even as a child, Bhagwani dreamed of becoming a teacher.
“When I used to see teachers in school, I would think that one day I would become a teacher too and teach others,” she says.
But after arriving in the village, she realised many girls were being left behind. Families explained that they did not feel comfortable sending girls to schools where male teachers taught boys and girls together. Without female teachers or safe learning spaces nearby, many girls simply stayed home. Bhagwani began speaking to families in the community about the importance of girls’ education.
“I told them it is not only about household work,” she says. “Girls can study and still help at home. I did both.”
Still, she knew meaningful change would require more support than she could provide alone.
“I used to pray to Allah to open a way so I could help educate these girls,” she says.
That opportunity came when READ Foundation launched a learning centre in Siya Nangar and selected Bhagwani as a teacher.
Today, she teaches 35 girls in her classroom. For many students, it is the first time they have ever had access to education. Girls who once spent their days working in the fields are now learning to read, write and speak confidently in front of others.
“Some of them could not even write their own names before,” Bhagwani explains. “Now they are studying well and speaking on stage at programmes. Seeing this makes me very happy.”
The learning centre provides books, stationery, technology and a safe learning environment, giving girls access to opportunities that previously did not exist within the village.
But for Bhagwani, education is about much more than literacy alone. Alongside teaching reading and writing, she also helps girls build confidence, communication skills and self-belief.
“I teach them how to speak with others, how to behave respectfully and how to become good human beings,” she says.
Watch Bhagwani’s story below
Most importantly, Bhagwani has become a role model for the girls she teaches.
“I tell them, ‘Whatever I can do, you can also do,’” she says.
Seeing a woman from a poor background become a teacher has transformed how many girls view their own futures.
“They say, ‘If our teacher can do it, why can’t we?’” Bhagwani explains. “Some want to become teachers, some doctors and some engineers.”
Although many girls still help their families at home and work alongside their studies, education is now helping them imagine futures beyond the limitations they once faced. For Bhagwani, watching girls gain confidence and ambition is one of the proudest parts of her work.
“This is my first job, and I feel very proud of myself,” she says. “Being a teacher is a respected position.”
Above all, Bhagwani hopes the girls in her classroom will continue believing that education can change their future, just as it changed hers.
The Empower Her project was made possible thanks to generous public donations to READ Foundation, matched by funding from the UK government through UK Aid Match. Through safe, inclusive and community-based learning spaces, the project is helping out-of-school girls aged 6–16 access education closer to home.
