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Read Up On All The Stories From The Field

Muhammad Ali – The Life Of A Breadwinner in Peshawar, Pakistan

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 […]

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Muhammad Ali’s Fight: Resilience in the Dusty Streets of Peshawar

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 […]

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Trip to the Zoo: a Day of “Firsts”

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 […]

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Trip to the Zoo: Community Support for Brighter Tomorrow

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 […]

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Class Decorations for the kids

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Eid Gifts!

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 […]

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eid gifts

Pashmina’s Story: From a Rural Home to An Urban Nightmare

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 […]

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home entrance

Deteriorating Economic Conditions Mean Hard Times for Child Laborers

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 […]

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Children’s Lives Put at Risk From Increase in Terrorist Violence

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 […]

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Opening Doors to Afghan Girls

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 […]

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New Year Treat

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 […]

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School Bags Make Them Happy

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 […]

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Empathic Listening Leads to Rooftop Cricket

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 […]

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cricket on rooftop

The Mayor visits and applauds Brighter Tomorrow

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 […]

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Safe Drinking Water

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 […]

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Art for Fun and Crucial Skills

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 […]

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Encouraging Self Expression through Art

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 […]

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Eid is a Special day for all, but more for Children

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 […]

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Brighter Tomorrow: Giving Choices and Granting wishes

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 […]

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Mr. Israr – Mentor at Brighter Tomorrow

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 […]

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The First Wish Of The Girls Granted

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 […]

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The Girls of Brighter Tomorrow

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 […]

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A Picture is Worth a 1000 Words

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. […]

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The Children Will Wear New Clothes This Eid

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 […]

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Interview of Mr. Amir

“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 […]

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Granting Wishes, Making Dreams

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 […]

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Choosing a Park

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 […]

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Children Without Dreams

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 […]

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A Day in the Life of a Child Laborer

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 […]

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cild working tea shop

A Sad Role Reversal

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 […]

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A glimpse into the community where Brighter Tomorrow is bringing change

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 […]

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Why Would a Family Put a Child to Work?

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 […]

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Bright Lights at Work Cause Pain. But Khalid Dreams of a Safer Tomorrow

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 […]

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Young Hands on Old Tools

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 […]

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I Wish My Grandfather Were Alive to See his Grandson Read his Books

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 […]

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We Are Not Children Since We Do Not Go to School, Nor Do We Play Games

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, […]

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