Though Rumi School was founded in 1996, the funds dried up and the school was forced to shut down suddenly in 2004. The community was in an uproar as this was the only school for many children in Afghani refugee camps as well as Pakistani border villages. The community of Haripur begged for assistance and The Zakat Foundation of America responded.

When our team arrived, they were shocked to find that the school had been utterly devastated, the roof had been destroyed and everything inside had been gutted. There were meetings with the parents, children and leaders of the community to determine the total needs and figure out the best plan of action.

At the cost of $50,000 the school was repaired and reopened. The children of the community were able to return to Rumi School with new materials and opportunities to greet them. When the school reopened in 2004 the classes were filled with 580 students nicely dressed in their traditional uniforms and eager to learn. School supplies were provided to each child through our backpack program.

More work is needed, currently girls over the age of 12 have to attend night school and there aren’t many programs available for older children or parents. We want to build a new school for girls over the age of 12 to attend and complete the same education as the boys have access to. Also in the plans is an extensive computer lab with technology training, evening classes to educate adults, provide English language courses and vocational training for anyone in the area.

Please help us today to make this a reality. We suggest a donation of $100 per student for a month. If you like, also you can  sponsor a student for full year. Please, donate now to help us maintain the current education and expand the school so that everyone has a chance to build a more prosperous future.