Our Story SUNDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2018·
TRUCE - TRUST FOR RURAL UPLIFT AND COMMUNITY EDUCATION·
Education is arguably the most important criterion for escaping the poverty cycle. Aside from its obvious economic value, education brings with it huge social benefits, not merely in terms of health and personal well-being, but in the natural transfer o
f knowledge to others, whether children, relatives, and friends. Unfortunately to this day, a large number of people in South Asia including Pakistan do not know how to read or write. As a result, they are held back from achieving their personal and national goals
Based on the above stated fact, it was in the year 2000 that members of a family were mobilized by the dismal state of literacy and manifestations of gender disparities arising from the prevalent tribal and patriarchal structures. This group of like-minded people decided to get together and work for the uplift of the under privileged people of the village Dera Jatta. Thus Trust for Rural Uplift and Community Education – TRUCE was established. The Trust for Rural Uplift and Community Education – TRUCE give highest priority to Education and Vocational training as most social ills are a direct result of the lack of it. The objectives of TRUCE were to undertake the preparatory work that included a program to empower rural children and their families through the formal provision of functional literacy, skills training, and basic education. Through this, TRUCE also aimed at increasing the access of rural poor women both to development activities and to other opportunities for self-advancement. The organization was founded in 2000 and was registered in April 2003 by the Joint Sub-Registrar under the Trust Act (II of 1882), in Islamabad. In January 2005, TRUCE also filed its application with The Pakistan Centre for Philanthropy – P*P. A team of 3 members led by a Training, Monitoring and Evaluation Officers, carried out a thorough, objective and intense evaluation of the organization against set parameters, in the critical areas of Internal Governance, Financial Management and Programme Delivery. Later on, TRUCE was also registered as an organization under P*P. TRUCE is now working for the prosperity of poor people in the outskirts of Pakistan at Village Dera Jatta – a small village 100 Km from the district Rahim Yar Khan in the South of Punjab, is a perfect example of a community that has remained backward despite all the economic growth and communication network in the surrounding areas. It is also 2½ Km away from Khan Bela, which is a small dusty town some 150 Km from River Indus on the left bank and a midst the desert lands of Rohi. Khan Bela itself is a sub-district of the district Rahim Yar Khan and acts as a market place or Mandi for the adjoining villages. It is said to have inherited the feudalistic way of life from the time it was part of the Bahawalpur State, therefore all the ills that come from a feudal society are prevalent in this area and thus the lives of the local people appear to have remained unaffected by the development and progress that has taken place in the last few decades. To address the pressing need of the community Nafisa Mai School - NMS was immediately established in the yard of the house of one of the Trustees, which is now registered with the Punjab Board of Education up to Primary Grade. On the day of admission over 150 children belonging to all age groups reported at the school. All younger children ranging between 5-6 years were taken while giving equal opportunity to the female child – and this has remained as the admission criteria ever since. The school initially started with the Nursery Level and has over the years progressed to the level of 10th Grade. A total number of 335 Students are presently enrolled at the NMS out of which there are 148 girls and 187 Boys, all divided into their respective classes beginning from Nursery to Class X. All services provided to the children are free of cost. The school besides providing free education also provides free uniform and shoes to the children. Books and stationary are also provided to the children. To prevent the high incidence of disease in the area caused mainly due to mal-nutrition, TRUCE has established the practice of providing each child free snacks during lunch hours on a regular basis. The organization has also made an arrangement according to which a doctor from the Rural Health Centre established at Khan Bela visits the school once in two months. Students with any kind of health problem are thoroughly examined and provided treatment. The organization also takes particular care about the physical grooming of the children. The local barber also visits the school, as and when required, to give free hair cuts to the students
TRUCE is aware that it is vital for students to be equipped with a set of diverse skills. For this reason besides emphasizing on academics students are also encouraged to take part in extracurricular activities. Education is the overall personality development of a human being, leading to a healthy, happy and full life. TRUCE believes that School is an extension of the home. It is at home, where the first learning takes place, but it is the school environment that fosters and sharpens the socio-environmental attitudes of a child. Keeping that in mind the NMS provides a program of learning and experience that is preparing the young underprivileged students for their future social and economic responsibilities. But above all that the students of the NMPS are taught to break the chains of poverty and illiteracy through quality education so that they can live a better life than their parents and are able to give their children a better life than them. The NMS also maintains gender balance; hence there is no discrimination between boys and girls. They sit together, are treated equally and there is no gender bias among them. As a result the students have turned out to be equally confident and have no sense of weakness, if girl or superiority, if boy. They consider each other equal. TRUCE takes great pride in claiming that the life of the young girls enrolled in the NMS are going to be different from their mothers, who never wore shoes to work in cotton fields; many lost life because of snake bites and pesticide poisoning. Since the establishment of the school, a lot of confidence and a sense of mobility can already be noticed in the body language of these girls. The small village streets are full of young excited little children clad in neat uniforms when they go to school in the morning and when they head back home from school at noon. The children that roamed around without clothes, food or proper shelters, are now living the lives of young school going children and their eyes reflect their joy and excitement. The amount of confidence reflected in the behaviour of these young kids is extraordinary. The children who walked around the fields eating sand are now completely transformed into disciplined poised young ones and feel proud of themselves. TRUCE is proud of the fact that the village children’s behaviour and attitude reflects all that they are being taught at school. Factors which makes the Organisation Stand Out:
The organisation initiated providing education to poorest of the poor children and skill development for uneducated youth. Achievements:
Partnerships:
Govt. of Punjab, Interactive Community Development, and Indus Hospital
Financial Resources:
Individual philanthropists.
