In Morocco, a child is only named seven days after its birth.

 

Maternal mortality in the region is one of the highest in the world, and many babies die in their first week of life. 

 

On my last trip to Morocco, I was honored not only with an invitation to the naming ceremony of Aichia's fourth child--a celebration of her survival--but also with a request to help choose the name of the healthy baby girl.

 

As Aichia and I sat on the same floor where she gave birth seven days before, we spoke of her dreams for her daughter, of the uncertainty of her future. "When I took my oldest daughter, Layla, to her first day of school, we both cried out of frustration. Neither of us could understand what the teacher was saying. I am illiterate and was never able to teach Layla how to speak Arabic [only speaking Berber at home]. She also did not know how to hold a pencil or anything else the teachers were asking her to do." 

 

And as we spoke, I shared stories with her about young women and girls in the Karakorum Mountains of Pakistan who do not have the opportunity to attend primary school. She and the women at the naming celebration shared very similar dreams for their children to those of mothers in Pakistan. "We need our children to be safe, healthy, and well-educated to have a better life" one mother said, the other women adding their agreement. More

Rashida laughs with her little sister, Saima, as they share their dreams for their future. Saima beams as she talks about her first year of primary school. "My favorite subjects are English and mathematics!"

 

Supported by Iqra Fund with a scholarship to attend 9th grade in Skardu, Rashida gets serious when she tells Saima to focus on her books. "You won't be able to learn everything from your teachers. You must find books and study from them at home to be able to go to high school like me."

 

Rashida is the eldest of five sisters and setting an extraordinary example for how to succeed in school when the odds are stacked against her. While nearly 200 students attend school in Hushe Village, that figure includes only 20% of the village's girls. And even if students are lucky enough to attend school, they are still challenged by the limited education of the teachers.

 

Rashida's aunt Zehra is one of the first girls from Hushe to receive a high school education. Iqra Fund is also supporting Zehra's studies in Islamabad, where she has started her first of three years studying for a Science Education degree. Zehra explains, "Science and math are important subjects to improve in our village school in Hushe. I want to help improve the education in my village, especially in the subjects of science. This is a big responsibility. I am ready."

 

Rashida is hopeful that Iqra Fund's teacher and school support in Hushe will increase her sisters' opportunities in the future. "With good teachers and books, my sisters will definitely be able to join me at the high school level." Saima laughs and explains that, "I'm going to be a doctor, so that is more school than high school, too!"