On the evening of Friday 7 September 2012, Quest for Education (now Quest for Education Foundation) held its annual dinner at the Pakistan High Commission in Lowndes Square, London. Supporters, trustees and guests from our partner, the Kashmir Education Foundation (KEF), came together in support of the schools we fund in rural Pakistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK).
Our invitation named His Excellency Mr Wajid Shamsul Hasan, High Commissioner of Pakistan, as Chief Guest. We are very grateful to the High Commission for opening its doors to us.
An evening at the High Commission
Guests gathered in the High Commission’s formal reception rooms, where round tables were laid for dinner beneath chandeliers and a portrait of Muhammad Ali Jinnah. Each table carried a card with a simple request: “Make The Difference … Please Support Quest for Education”.
Guests listen to the speeches, with a “Please Support Quest for Education” table card in the foreground, September 2012.
Speeches and a focus on teachers
Several speakers addressed the room, including the Chairman of KEF. During the speeches a copy of a teacher-training textbook, Learning to Teach in the Secondary School, was held up for guests to see.
It was a reminder of where much of our support goes. Good schools depend on well-trained teachers, and KEF’s college of teacher education at Bassali, which it started in 2001, trains women from the region as teachers.
A teacher-training textbook is held up during the speeches.
Broadcast presenter Sonia Qureshi speaks at the dinner.
Supporters share dinner together, September 2012.
Where the money goes
Funds raised by QEF support the work of the Kashmir Education Foundation (KEF), which has run schools in the region since 1996. KEF’s schools include Pearl Valley Public School in Rawalakot, its first, established on 14 August 1996; Soan Valley Public School in Bassali, established in May 2005; and Banjosa Valley Public School, established in March 2009. Its college of teacher education at Bassali, which KEF started in 2001, trains women as primary teachers. Read about the schools we support.
Thank you to the High Commission for hosting us, to our speakers, and to everyone who took part and donated. To help train teachers and keep children in school, please make a donation.