The Survivor: Aliya Bibi’s Journey with Pehli Kiran Schools

Aliya Bibi learned early that education could be dangerous—and that it could also be her salvation. Born into an Afghan Pashtoon family living in Pakistan, Aliya grew up in a deeply conservative household where girls’ education was openly opposed. Her father struggled with severe anger issues. Books were torn, homework destroyed, and fear was a constant presence. Studying often meant working in secret—late at night, quietly, when it was safe. Yet even in that environment, Aliya persisted.

When the family moved to Islamabad, a neighbor persuaded her father to enroll his daughters in Pehli Kiran School No. 2. The education was free, and perhaps he did not expect it to last. Aliya remembers her very first day vividly – a senior student helping teach the alphabet, a classroom filled with possibility. It became one of her happiest memories.

But the resistance at home intensified. Whenever her father saw schoolbooks, his rage followed. Aliya and her sisters learned to hide their education—to protect it. Their mother bore the worst of the backlash, absorbing abuse while quietly insisting that her daughters continue. “She never complained,” Aliya says. “She just kept us going.”

At PKS, Aliya excelled. She ranked high in her class and later earned a scholarship. After Grade 5, when she transitioned to public school, PKS teachers continued to support her. With their help, she completed her education privately through Grade 10—even sitting her matriculation exam after her marriage.

Marriage, however, brought new barriers. Aliya’s husband opposed her education and later her employment. Financial support was unreliable, emotional support absent. After enduring verbal abuse and long periods of abandonment, Aliya returned to her parents’ home while pregnant with her first child—uncertain, vulnerable, but not defeated.

Once again, education opened a door. A former PKS connection led Aliya to a job as a translator at a maternity clinic, bridging communication between patients and doctors. The work restored her confidence and independence. Encouraged by a mentor, she later enrolled in a Lady Health Visitor (LHV) training program, determined to build a stable future for herself and her children.

Today, Aliya supports her family through her work and training. Financial independence has given her control over her life—and protection from further harm. She is raising her children with values she fought hard to claim education, dignity, and self-respect.

Perhaps the most striking transformation is generational. “The same father who once beat us for studying now spends all his time playing with my children,” she reflects. “All that rage has disappeared.”

Aliya’s journey is not about ease or perfection. It is about endurance—and about what becomes possible when a girl is given access to education and refuses to let go of it. “If I hadn’t been educated,” she says, “my life would have been nothing but suffering.” She is determined that her children’s lives will be different.

Aliya Bibi’s story embodies the deepest impact of Pehli Kiran Schools: education as protection, education as independence, education as survival.

For girls facing violence, forced silence, and opposition from every direction, PKS is not just a school – it is a lifeline.