Uplifting the Ummah through Education

The tragic genocide in Gaza and its unfolding aftermath has affected the entire Muslim ummah, including Sitara Trust. Many of our school families come from Afghanistan and Kashmir, regions that have been ravaged by war for decades. Like the Palestinians, these people have known violence, famine and deplorable living conditions their whole lives. They’ve fled to Islamabad in search of safety and a better life. Sitara’s mission is to help them, one child, one family at a time. We have been providing low cost, quality education to impoverished children for thirteen years. Now it's time for you to join us and reap the rewards here and Hereafter. Education is a right, not a privilege.

 Pakistan has one of the highest rates of illiteracy and out of school children in the world.  Sitara's teachers have gone house to house urging families to enroll their children in school. We have literally taken street children by the hand and brought them to our doors. 

Our Mission

Sitara Trust currently serves almost 400 children on two campuses in Chatha Bakhtawar, a small town in the Islamabad Capital Territory in Pakistan. We have a Mother Child Center (SMCC), an elementary school, and separate girls’ and boys’ high schools. Our staff of 32 qualified teachers, assistants and support personnel work hard to provide quality education to students ranging in age from 3 to 17. Our primary goal is to educate and uplift impoverished children and their families through education. We have been working successfully at this since 2011, when we first opened our doors to 20 street children. Since that time, we’ve seen tremendous growth in the children and great changes in the attitudes of the parents, especially toward girls’ education, Alhamdulilah

 Tarbiyah: Nurturing Potential, One Heart and Mind at a Time.

At Sitara, we follow a very special curriculum that was designed by a visionary educator, Br. Dawud Tauhidi (r.a.).  Instead of just teaching children about Islam, The Tarbiyah Project teaches students how to be Muslim. This means learning how to live the beautiful values of Islam in our everyday lives. From giving charity to learning about Palestine, Sitara students seek to be proactive in the world. This year our middle and high school students participated in the Children’s March for Palestine. At the same time, senior section students were studying the history of Palestine and all the prophets sent to that holy region. The combination of Islamic history and the current realities facing the ummah makes the curriculum powerful and relevant. https://youtu.be/l13FY0Owj9g?si=JuWuEz3I0xAxSfFH

Sitara Mother Child Center

The SMCC opened in 2017. Located in a residential neighborhood, it serves the children of local housekeepers as well as street children. It also offers sewing classes for women. Recently the SMCC established a small day care service for some young mothers who attend university classes. There are so few services of that kind here in Pakistan! There are about 100 students attending SMCC classes. The oldest group will graduate to Sitara School in the new term, etc. SMCC provides the perfect transition from the streets to the classroom, focusing on basic literacy and Islamic etiquette, including cleanliness.

Widening Their World

Before Sitara, the lives of these children were very limited. They only knew about their homes in Chatha Bakhtawar and their extended families in the village. At Sitara we take the students on field trips to parks, museums and historic landmarks.  As they get older, they study neighboring countries, the world at large and even the universe. Their horizons expand, they want to know more, to experience more. Our middle and high school students are well on their way to becoming productive members of the Muslim ummah. We make sure to equip them with the hard and soft skills needed to face the future with confidence. Currently our senior students are taking an AI course in Islamabad and an online poetry course. Check the links below to see some videos produced by the students themselves. They are proud of their school and we are proud of their accomplishments!  https://youtu.be/2o4Z23GtTYE?si=QlG71aZUXKvaV0SL    https://youtu.be/QHoWkUed6Ag?si=eA0v7FaYYVk3VtAa    https://youtu.be/vQ-YP0itfYc?si=cFL6q67iDIdhc5Px     https://youtu.be/OpeY9W81Gek?si=EtOSc0YcXDhugtqP

Let's Live This Hadith!

Abu Musa reported: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “ Verily, the believers are like bricks of a building, each part strengthening the other,” and the Prophet clasped his fingers together.
 

In today’s world, it is more important than ever that those of us blessed with affluence come to the aid of those of us in poverty. As global inflation continues to rise, so does the cost of living in Pakistan. When basic necessities like flour and cooking oil are priced out of reach, families can barely survive. Among the poor, education is often considered a luxury. In the long-term view, education is one of the very few pathways out of poverty. Due to an unfair exchange rate, dollars buy much more here than they do at home. So please join our humble efforts. We are accountable to you for every dollar spent. Donate generously to break the cycle of poverty for this generation!  Jazak Allahu khairun.
About Sitara Trust