A Place Called Home - Answering The Prayers oF Broken Hearts

Mingora: Answering the prayers of little broken hearts, Khpal Kor Foundation began its good work 16-years ago. A boarding school that commenced to rebuild the lives of the orphans in Swat, Khpal Kor, which means ‘our home’, provides children the kindness, support and wisdom of a good parent. During the atrocious Swat crisis, the breadwinners of many families were lost, leaving hosts of children drifting aimlessly and families going hungry. The future was bleak for the residents of the valley as orphaned children were kidnapped, fell into trouble or just wasted time. Khpal Kor is more than a school. It’s a cast to heal Swat’s fractures. The facility that started with five orphans and a room has turned into a highly sought after boarding school with 1600 students, 370 of which have been orphaned. The school has a coed junior section and then separate sections for boys and girls from middle school on. The children wear uniforms like in any good prep school, and participate in a variety of extracurricular activities including, but not limited to, elocution, debate, art, drama, music and sports. The boarding areas and cafeteria are very well maintained, and discipline is preserved throughout the day (and night). The children are encouraged to keep their surroundings neat and beautiful, and win prizes for their tidiness every week. The staff comprises of experienced teachers who care for the well-being of their students. They handle the children with a lot of warmth and patience – some of the children have suffered severe trauma from losing their parents and witnessing the many terrors that Swat was besieged with. For any special cases or needs, there is an in house psychologist who ensures that the children are dealt with appropriately. The school maintains and provides for its orphaned students through revenues generated by tuition fees; even setting aside Rs 500 a month in each child’s savings account, access of which is granted to them on graduation. The management of the school believes correctly that is important for the children to feel economically at level as the other children in the school, and helps them psychologically to become better placed in life. “Essentially, this school system was designed to keep orphaned children out of the hands of predators with political agendas” says Mohammad Ali, director of Khpal Kor Foundation, “it cares for them and educates them, preparing them in every way to be well-rounded independent human beings who can benefit this nation.” In a country whose people are, an opportunity to study like this is a matter of life and death. Students who have graduated from this school tend to do well for themselves. Khpal Kor Foundation is a currently, they working towards setting up on a larger scale with Khpal Kor Model Village. Such a place would recruit adults as well as children and try to create its own economy. For now, just by giving orphans a place to feel completely at home, Khpal Kor has improved the future of Swat’s residents greatly. With such a wonderful private education and welfare system, the North’s wounds look to healrn