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 supports the community and the community supports the program.
Early in Brighter Tomorrow’s history, many local businesses, organizations, and individuals took an active interest in this project to educate child laborers in their community. The children’s employers agreed to give them time off without any loss of pay. A local school allowed them to use an empty classroom. Teachers donated their time. Local shops donated school backpacks and uniforms, and gifts of clothing and shoes for EID. Another merchant provided a soft new carpet so the children would not have to sit on a hard cement floor.
A recent excursion to the zoo by the children on Friday, January 6, 2024, is another example of this whole-hearted community support.
The directors of FSRT, Focusing Initiative’s local partner in supporting Brighter Tomorrow, provided money from their own pockets to cover the monetary costs.
Peshawar’s Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) provided a state-of-the art hybrid bus that took the children to the zoo on a dedicated road that lifted them high above the city and plunged them underground.
Upon their arrival at the main gate of the Peshawar Zoo, they were warmly welcomed by the Education Officer, Mr. Ijaz, who guided them on a custom-designed tour that ended in the zoo auditorium, where the children viewed wildlife videos showing animals in their natural habitats and afterwards participated in a quiz competition regarding animals and biodiversity.
This consistent generosity from so many different segments of the city of Peshawar makes it clear that the community values the Brighter Tomorrow program.