Our Mission

Can anyone claim ignorance when it comes to the plight of children in the developing world, war-torn world? They stand begging on our doorsteps. No one can save them all, but each one of us can do something. Sitara School’s 2018 Ramadan Campaign is here to offer hope of a brighter future to the youth of Pakistan through education. And their hopes are your opportunities. We are offering you a chance to make a difference. A donation of just $45.00 a month goes a long way toward changing lives in Pakistan.

Sitara’s Impact

In a country that struggles to educate its children, Sitara is a haven for more than 260 boys and girls, ages three to sixteen. We provide them with books, uniforms, technology and teachers. But we provide much more than that. The word Sitara means “star” in Urdu. Each one of our children are shining stars who will light the way to a better future, Inshallah. Your contributions will keep their lights shining bright.

Since 2011, our school has grown from 20 to 265 students. In 2017, we initiated Sitara Girls’ High School, the only girls’ high school in our town. Without it, the future scientists you see in our cover photo would have finished their education after 5^th class, only to be locked behind the boundary walls of their homes. But once word of our program got around, many fathers came forward to pledge their support and admit their daughters. Now these young women are getting a secondary education. Inshallah, many will go on to college and beyond, becoming educated, pro-active citizens who can take their country forward into the 21^st century.

Teaching for Understanding

In an educational system where memorization and cramming are the rule, Sitara stands out. Our simple motto is Teaching for Understanding. In Pakistan, every school claims to be “English medium”, but we proudly follow a bilingual curriculum because academic research has proven bilingual is best in developing strong minds. We teach in English and Urdu, thus making sure our students clearly understand their learning. We go beyond the books in developing creative lessons with a focus on Tarbiyah, or character education.  Through our Quranic Arabic program, students learn to read the Holy Book with proper tajweed and tafseer and most importantly, to apply its lessons in their lives.

Teaching with Tarbiyah

Every school brings new improvements in our curriculum with better books and resources as well as more training for the teachers. This year, we have begun working with the Tarbiyah Project. This project was designed by Br. Dawud Tauhidi,(r) a pioneer of Islamic education in America. His visionary plan for global spiritual education is being implemented in this little corner of Pakistan. It is a voice of moderation in a country that is often accused of extremism.  The Tarbiyah Project is a natural fit for Sitara because it is so much in harmony with the original Islamic values and ethics on which this country was founded. The seven themes of the Tarbiyah Project are God Consciousness, Noble Character, Useful Knowledge, Healthy Living, Human Relations, Daily Living and Public Service.

Our Twinkling Stars

Our youngest students show the greatest potential. They start out as preschoolers, attend regularly and   get a consistent education as they grow. Many little ones come to us speaking Pashto, Punjabi or other dialects. We welcome their mother tongues and gently guide them in the study Urdu, English and Arabic. We take a phonics- based approach, as this has proven most effective in educating English language learners.

Our Shining Stars

Once they’ve learned the basics of reading, writing and math, our elementary students really take off in their learning. Through projects and activities, centered around the themes of Tarbiyah, we let their interests, guide the curriculum, while still maintaining the high standards that will enable them to achieve excellence in all their subjects. We offer a balanced literacy program that includes speaking and writing as well as reading in English and Urdu. We use the best textbooks on the market, providing them for free or at a highly subsidized cost to families in need. Our technology program starts in first class, with computer classes and the use of tabs and laptops in the classroom.

Our Super Stars

After fifth class, our boys leave us. Most of them go to the government school that is just down the road from our campus. They like to return for visits and to use the computer room! The nearest government girls’ school is in the next town with no safe options for transport. That is why we’ve established our senior section, which now educates girls in classes six through ten.

 I call these girls our super stars because in most cases, they will be the first ones in their families to graduate eighth class and go on to high school. The families have really started to appreciate the fact that their daughters are now literate. One father said, "We are blind in this society. It is our children who can see for us." Inshallah, their education will not stop when they leave us. We have high hopes for them to complete college and go on to university studies. Our future plans included establishing a scholarship fund for this purpose, Inshallah.

 Career development is part of our curriculum. We continue to bring in professional people and skilled workers to show our students a wide world of possibilities.  Our technology curriculum is as hands on as possible, utilizing tablets, laptops, smartphones and desktops to teach real world applications that will give our students an advantage in the competitive global marketplace. Our brand-new Science lab, built with your generous donations, ensures that we can teach the rigorous Science curriculum mandated by the Federal Ministry of Education. Our hands-on Science experiments also go a step beyond, ensuring that our students can apply what they learn in their textbooks to real life situations.

The Teachers’ Institute

The tremendous improvements in our students and curriculum have not come about by themselves, of course. It has taken hard work and dedication on the part of the teachers and administrators. Sitara Teachers’ Institute has been instrumental in bringing the best of teaching theory and practice to this little corner of Pakistan. In a nation where teachers receive little in the way of training before entering the classroom, Sitara function as a lab school. Saturday mornings are reserved for teachers’ workshops with director Sommieh Flower, who has years of experience in the States as both a teacher and administrator as well as a master’s degree in Curriculum and Administration. Sitara teachers work to improve their own English while learning the best phonics based and reading comprehension techniques to use with their students. They also learn the benefits of technology in the classroom and in their own lives. The Institute offers many opportunities for professional development.

Your Greatest Opportunity

Our donors have been very generous in our earlier campaigns, but the bigger the school the more the expense. It costs only about $18.00 a month to educate a child, but there are other factors to consider, such as rent for our campus, utilities and salaries for our hard-working, dedicated staff. If we divide those expenses among the student population, it comes to about $45.00 a head, or $450.00 USD for the entire school year. These are our suggested donation amounts, but you may contribute as much or as little as you wish, as a one time, monthly or occasional donation. Our future plans include the possible purchase of solar panels to solve the daily load shedding issues we face. We would like to eventually build our own, much larger campus to better serve the growing numbers of children who want to attend our school.

Please spread a good word for us by sharing our video and this Launch good link on all your social media.  This campaign aims to raise $30,000 during Ramadan, when all contributions are multiplied. What an golden opportunity for our donors! Please give all you can and reap your rewards both here and Hereafter. Jazak Allahu khairun.