Girls School in Sonmiani

The one room government girls' school in the town of Sonmiani.  87 Children studying in it, having to go home or to neighbor's homes to use the toilet, since there isn't one at the school.  Literacy rate in this area is estimated at 14%.  The common answer to the question "is your child in school?" was "we are poor, we can't afford to send them to school."

Most children did not have shoes.

The destruction inside the classroom.  The structure is still standing, work needs to be done to fix the school and make some improvements (ie: add toilet).  We are currently working with NGOs to rebuild these schools, and provide material (all the books, etc. we destroyed in the floods).

How many times have we all complained about having to go to school? These children were very enthusiastic about learning.  Their teachers were late because they travel from a town 1 hour away.  When the children heard that their "miss" was outside, they ran to the temporary school ready to learn.  A lady living nearby has allowed children to come to her home, which is still standing, to resume classes.  I realized how we all take the simple things for granted.  Education should not be a luxury.