In the rural village of Alu Kotrio in Tharparkar district, limited employment opportunities and widespread poverty have long created challenges for families trying to build stable futures. For many women, opportunities to work outside the home after marriage remain limited.
For 30-year-old Aneela, these challenges became a defining part of her life.
Despite growing up in difficult financial circumstances, Aneela’s father remained committed to ensuring his daughter received an education. His support gave her opportunities that many girls in rural communities are often denied.
But after marriage, Aneela’s circumstances became increasingly difficult. She married into a family facing serious financial hardship, and despite being educated, there were no employment or livelihood opportunities available to her within the village. Without access to work, Aneela and her family continued living in poverty, with few opportunities available to improve their situation.
That began to change when READ Foundation opened a community learning space for girls within her village. The project aimed not only to support girls’ education, but also to involve local women in creating safe and accessible learning opportunities for children within their communities.
When the opportunity arose for Aneela to become a teacher, she immediately showed interest. At first, her husband was reluctant to support her decision to take on the role.
In many rural communities, women working outside the home can still face resistance due to traditional expectations and social norms. For Aneela, moving forward required patience, determination and support from both her community and the READ Foundation team.
Through continued discussion and encouragement, the project team worked closely with the family to explain the importance of girls’ education and the positive role local female teachers could play within the community. Over time, Aneela’s determination and the supportive efforts of the team helped change her husband’s perspective.
With this support in place, Aneela moved forward in the recruitment process, successfully clearing the test and interview required to become a teacher. She later completed the training provided through the project, preparing her to teach girls within her village.
For Aneela, becoming a teacher represented more than employment alone. It was an opportunity to contribute to her community, support girls’ education and help create opportunities that many children in the village had never previously had access to.
Determined to create a safe and supportive learning environment for her students, Aneela also took practical steps to help establish the learning space itself. With a financial contribution from her father, she helped construct a classroom and washroom for the school, demonstrating both her personal commitment and her family’s continued belief in the importance of education.
Today, the learning centre has become an important source of opportunity within Alu Kotrio village. Girls in the community now have access education close to home in a safe and supportive environment.
For many families, the presence of a trusted local female teacher has helped increase confidence in girls’ education and encouraged more parents to enrol their daughters in school.
Through her work as a teacher, Aneela is not only supporting girls’ learning but also helping create wider change within her community. The classroom she helped establish is now giving girls the chance to study, grow in confidence and imagine futures beyond the limitations of poverty.
In her village, education has become a source of hope for many families, helping illuminate pathways toward brighter futures for the next generation of girls.
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.
