May 18, 2007

As Salaamu Alaikum (Peace Be Upon You), 

Hidaya Foundation (www.hidaya.org) has been serving the poorest of the poor in rural areas such as Pakistan since 1999. Hidaya's 'No Orphan without Education Project' has been a source of light to numerous lives. Recently, a Mother came to one of Hidaya's offices in Pakistan to apply for assistance:

Firdoas, a 35 years old widow with only a fifth grade education is trying to support her 6 children. They live in a two-bedroom home, which is unstable because termites have damaged the ceiling/roof significantly. She earns Rs. 2,000 a month ($33) through stitching and embroidery. Her eldest daughter, now seventeen, had stopped going to school once she reached 5th grade. Her second daughter is attending 6th grade, while her 12 year old son, a 7th grader, comes to Hidaya's local office to learn English six days a week. He pulls in additional double duty by selling chick peas (garbanzo beans) in his neighborhood to bring in 2 - 6 Rupees per day, and by working at clinic for four hours in the evening to learn how to give injections. For his work, the clinic pays him 260 Rupees a month ($4.50). Like other boys of his, he wants to save enough money to purchase a bicycle for his daily commute between school and jobs. Firdoas' youngest boy - a 9 year old is brilliant for his age; he was able to solve several math problems beyond his 3rd grade level. (Please click here to read more about Firdoas' family and other similar families that are being supported with your donations.)

Hidaya's No Orphan without Education Project helps widow/orphan families meet their needs and also ensure that the children are given the opportunity to receive an education. It costs $30 - $50 to support an orphan or a widow for one month, or $360 - $600 for one year.

For more information or to view photographs of this project, please visit:
http://www.hidaya.org/orphaneducation.htm

Would you like to be part of this great effort of helping the weakest group of society? Please donate online by check or credit card via the following link:
https://donation.hidaya.org/donation.aspx?projectId=77

You can mail checks payable "Hidaya Foundation" to:
Hidaya Foundation
P.O. Box 5481
Santa Clara, CA 95056

Sign up to donate automatically every month towards this or any of our other projects by visiting the following link:
http://www.hidaya.org/documents/forms/AutoWithdrawalForm.pdf

Sincerely,

Waseem Baloch
Hidaya Foundation
(866) 244-3292 Toll Free

Hidaya Foundation (www.hidaya.org) is a US based non-profit 501(C)(3) charitable organization, with Tax ID# 77-0502583. Its mission is to implement projects in economically depressed areas of the world.