The story of Muhammad Ali, a 12 year old boy, is like so many child laborers in Peshawar Pakistan. Four years ago, he and his older brother had to leave school and […]
Listening lies at the core of Focusing Initiatives International’s approach to community wellness. We do not come into a community with preconceived ideas of what we think they need. Instead we rely […]
The relentless summer sun beat down on the dusty streets of Peshawar, turning the asphalt into a shimmering mirage. Inside their cramped single-room dwelling, thirteen-year-old Muhammad Ali feels the heat prickle his […]
On Friday, January 6, 2024, Peshawar’s Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) provided a state-of-the art hybrid bus that took 25 girls and 40 boys from Brighter Tomorrow, accompanied by two female and two […]
When a program is “home-grown” – designed locally to meet locally perceived needs – it is generally welcomed and supported by the community it serves. This is a mutual relationship: the program […]
COMMUNITY STANDS WITH BRIGHTER TOMORROW THROUGH HARD TIMES Pakistan is on the verge of bankruptcy, has not recovered from the worst flooding in years (which destroyed the majority of crops), is suffering […]
12-year-old Pashmina is small for her age, with a fair complexion, black hair and deep brown eyes. She was named Pashmina because her family says she resembled the soft pashm wool made […]
Shafat, a child scavenger in the city garbage dumps, also goes from door to door to purchase garbage from households. He constantly shouts “Kabari, Kabari” (meaning buyer of old/recyclable items) and households […]
The deteriorating law and order situation in Pakistan is creating new dangers for child laborers, especially those involved in scavenging and selling food items. The recent blast at a mosque during prayers […]
Unprecedented hard times due to international sanctions are forcing the Afghans to cross over into Pakistan, a country that is undergoing the worst economic crises – galloping inflation, food shortage, and deteriorating […]
Last year a search for options for a promised outing resulted in our students’ choosing to enjoy a day trip to a riverside park. At that time, Brighter Tomorrow had only 70 […]
When we started Brighter Tomorrow we never thought that girls would join the boys section, or that if they joined, their number would increase to around 50 in just one month. The […]
Brighter Tomorrow believes in and promotes the culture of empathetic listening. Not only do the teachers listen to the students empathetically but they also guide the students to listen to each other […]
May 18, 2022 was a very special day in the lives of the children of Brighter Tomorrow. The Mayor of Peshawar Metropolitan City visited Brighter Tomorrow and handed out certificates to the […]
For those who take for granted availability of safe drinking water it will come as a surprise that only 20% of the people in Pakistan have access to safe drinking water. The […]
In the west and among the well-off families in Pakistan children are encouraged to draw to ensure the development/improvement of their fine motor skills, visual analysis, concentration, hand-eye coordination, individual confidence, and […]
At Brighter Tomorrow we encourage a child’s self-expression through process-oriented art. These children are often punished if they draw, as the only drawing surfaces they have are the walls of the houses […]
Eid is an occasion where everyone gets to wear new dresses, shoes, receive money from elders and party. But it is not so for the children who are forced into child labour […]
The children leave their homes at dawn and return at dusk. All day long they work at tea shops, bakeries, machine shops, and markets. Never before have their wishes been granted, nor […]
Hafiz Israr Afridi grew up in Bara village, in the district Khyber of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. His father was a religious scholar who believed that education was the cure to the ills and […]
Thanks to the tireless efforts of Mr. Aamir, Hafiz Israr & Ms. Sumbal Noor, the magnificent teachers and mentors, Brighter Tomorrow established the care and education facility in a room provided by […]
COVID-19 is the last nail in the economy of Peshawar, Pakistan. It has forced hundreds and thousands of children into labor as a cheap and manageable resource. Driven by financial need, boys […]
After the first recreational trip, by brighter tomorrow, the children drew these drawings/sketches to treasure the memories of their visit to the park and share with those who made this trip possible. […]
Brighter Tomorrow owes its success to the tireless efforts of Mr. Amir and Hafiz Israr, our two magnificent teachers working tirelessly for 6 days a week. That is why Brighter Tomorrow has […]
“My wealth is education and I must distribute my wealth among those in need.” Mr. Amir was born and raised in a rural environment at village Utmanzai, which was the home of […]
It is Friday, the 11th of February, a very special day in the lives of the children of Brighter tomorrow. Today their wish was granted, the decision they made was honored. They went […]
News that the Brighter Tomorrow children were searching for options for their promised outing spread to the shops where they worked. Workshop owners and their customers all had helpful ideas about where […]
Hafsa is a medical student whose passion is art. Over the years, she has designed classrooms for kindergartens, starting always with discussions with the children to learn their interests and dreams. When […]
Let us meet Naveed, he is among the thousands of child laborers who were robbed of their childhood after COVID hit the globe and the vulnerable segments of the society hit the […]
When COVID-19 hit Peshawar, Pakistan, many businesses closed. People working in places ranging from small road side stalls to big stores and restaurants lost their jobs. Like Jamil and Shafiq, who worked […]
Gul Bibi is 35 years old. She got married when she was 15 while her husband was 25. Her husband was an unskilled daily wage labor, earning just enough to make two […]
The city center is the spot from where people hire laborers. The skilled and semiskilled sit separately, with the semi-skilled displaying their tools/implements next to them. If you are looking for someone […]
Last year, the closure of schools and the economic crisis caused by COVID forced 9-year-old Khalid’s family to hand him over to the local welder. At the shop where he works from […]
Asad, age 7, has been working for the past year at a machine shop where he assists the master craftsman and owner of the shop. He refers to his boss as the […]
Jalaluddin Balkhi was named after the poet Rumi by his late grandfather who was a respected scholar of Darri (classic Persian) and Pashto when their family lived in Afghanistan. But when war […]
Jameel and Shafiq aged 8 and 9 are brothers who have been working in the local bread making shop for more than a year. They have learned to make the dough balls, […]
