Bushra’s legacy to live on through her mountain schools charity
Girls' education
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Bushra Farooqi was a force of nature. A British banker who worked in Dubai, she helped to educate hundreds of underprivileged children in the mountain valleys of Pakistan, where she was born.
She loved to walk through the Himalayas and other mountain ranges of the world. She worked for the organising committee for the 2012 London Olympics. And she had been collecting signatures for A World at School鶹APPs and was due to attend the recent #UpForSchool Town Hall event in New York.
Tragically, Bushra died aged only 42 while on a trekking expedition in Oman in September. When two children in the group of 12 became dehydrated by excessive heat, she went off-track in the mountainous region to get a mobile phone signal to call for help.
Her sister Aisha said: 鶹APPShe lost her way and succumbed to dehydration and extreme heat. The rescue helicopter found her after 24 hours. By that time she was beyond all rescue.
鶹APPAll the other members of the group and the children were safely rescued by the end of that evening and went home safely. My sister died as she had lived, taking care of children and as a true humanitarian.鶹APP
Bushra鶹APPs family have vowed to continue the work of her charity in the Baltistan region of Pakistan 鶹APP and even to expand it. Her brother Sohaib said: 鶹APPAisha and I have taken the mantle of continuing ahead with Bushra鶹APPs Inspire schools legacy in the remote mountain regions of Pakistan.
鶹APPWith support pouring in from all wellwishers, friends, family and people from Pakistan, UAE, UK and elsewhere, we are very encouraged and confident that Bushra鶹APPs legacy will continue to inspire for a better tomorrow.鶹APP
In 2009 Bushra decided it was time to give something back to one of the many hospitable mountain communities that had welcomed her on her travels. She invested in girls鶹APP education along with three other UK sponsors and 60 girls from Basha Valley were supported through primary education by using the boys鶹APP school premises.
Over the next three years 360 girls were educated and Bushra decided in 2014 to set up the Inspire Initiative charity 鶹APP whose motto is 鶹APPInspire 鶹APP for the love of mountains鶹APP.
Aisha said: 鶹APPThe importance of education and empowerment of the girl child is something she and all of us have learned and practised from the very beginning and is a deeply-held value that we have inherited from our parents.
Children at one of Inspire Initiative鶹APPs classes
鶹APPBy establishing her charity, she was giving back what she had gained in life 鶹APP a good education. Thus Bushra had completed a circle 鶹APP and because it is a circle, it cannot end. Bushra鶹APPs Inspire Initiative shall continue giving for a long time.
鶹APPAs her family, we are resolved to take her work forward and fulfill the vision of spreading education through out this region in Pakistan.鶹APP
Inspire Initiative has adopted two community schools in Sadpara village in Baltistan, where it takes care of the educational needs of more than 170 children aged four to 14 鶹APP half of them girls.
The aim is to adopt more community schools in the village over the next two years and then expand to neighbouring villages. The charity also plans to start adult literacy programme in the short to medium term to empower the community.
Girls and boys gather for sports day for the Sadpara schools
Aisha added: 鶹APPWe are grateful for the support of all the sponsors and donors of Inspire Initiative and hope they will stand by us as we take Bushra鶹APPs legacy forward.鶹APP
A memorial service for Bushra in Sadpara was attended by more than 400 parents, children and villagers. Nahida, a teacher in the village, in Abu Dhabi: 鶹APPThe children have been crying a lot since they heard of her death.
鶹APPShe had so much energy. When she came here the light became brighter, everyone was happy. The children loved her like their mother. She wanted the children to do something with their lives.
鶹APPShe planned to train teachers, admit more students, build two more rooms. Who bothers about remote areas? But she truly cared for us.鶹APP
. And read about the inspiring stories of some of Bushra鶹APPs students .
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