Giving the Gift of an Education

Thanksgiving has come and gone and the stress of papers, finals and of course the impending holiday season is upon us. In the midst of all that is the end of the semester at Brown, it's hard to think ahead to holiday gift giving. The thought of navigating malls or sifting through the internet in light of all else we have to do is entirely daunting. Which is why I want to introduce Globemed and it's blog readers to an organization that gives the gift of education: the Iqra Fund. 

The Iqra fund(Iqra means 'to read' in Arabic) was created by Jennifer Chabot in 2007 after she spent time doing doctoral research on women's education in Pakistan. Today the Iqra fund is a nationally recognized organization that works with communities and employs local leadership to provide girls with educational opportunities that greatly affect their quality of life and the future of their communities. 

Having worked first hand with the Iqra fund, I've seen the impact they have made on the ground in Pakistan and the way in which they have risen from a small grass roots organization to a powerful voice in the future of women's education in the Middle East. 

This holiday season the Iqra fund is urging us to give the meaningful and unique gift of education. They are accepting donations of any amount and to prove that a little goes a long way they give the example of nine year old Jane who donated $10 with which the Iqra fund was able to purchase texts books and a school bag for a girl in Pakistan. Iqra will make a donation in your friend or family's name and you will be both have the knowledge that you are part of an incredible organization and an extraordinary revolution. 

Here is the link for the website to donate: 

http://iqrafund.org/donate.php

Happy Holidays! 

-Camille