Why is Abida a Worthy Recipient of a Microloan?
Abida is a worthy recipient of a micro loan. By getting the loan 196 students would be helped with their education, because new classrooms would be added to the school. This would help the school, "...complete educational goals as well as provide children with extra-curricular activities," (Kiva). Not to mention that 68 percent of the students are female, which means that female education, unfairly limited in many countries, would be supported. The school is in Jalalpur Jattan, Pakistan. Pakistan is a developing nation, resulting in it lacking the funds needed to support education. If Abida were to get the loan, it would help fund an education that otherwise wouldn't be there. Also, Pakistan, for the most part, doesn't support women getting an education. Since 68 percent of the students are female, the loan would support female education in an area where it sadly would otherwise not be given. The school is in urban slums, so even without the other obstacles, it would have a rough time without the loan. As a result of all the obstacles Abida's school faces, she is a good candidate for the loan.
Place: First P of Poverty
Using the first P of poverty (place), it is clear that Abidas circumstances of poverty are reasonable. Pakistan has a severely dry climate, with a high risk of diseases. Climate change can be bad for countries like Pakistan that need good weather for crops, and with expensive medicine costs diseases can affect the children who need to attend school. Also, the country borders the Arabian Sea, between India on the east and Iran and Afghanistan on the west and China in the north. Those countries are known for schooling inequality, causing Pakistan to have a low rate of children attending schools.
Past: 2nd P of Poverty
The second P is the past of the country. Pakistan was under British colonial rule in the 1800s, and started out as a colony. Since Pakistan was a colony in the past, it is a developing nation in the present. Originally, Pakistan was two separate areas in India where there was a large population of Muslims. On August 14th, 1947, the country gained independence from from Great Britain. Some disputes over power split between Muslims and Hindus resulted in the Muslim league wanting independence in India where the population was mainly Muslim. When they were denied by both the British and Hindus, violence broke out. To create peace, Pakistan was formed. By gaining independence from Great Britain, Pakistan changed from a colony to a developing nation.
People: 3rd P of Poverty
Pakistan's people affect the country the most. From researching, it is clear that the population of 201,995,540 is a large number compared to the residents who are educated or are being educated. According to world book, “More than two-thirds of the men and more than a third of the women above the age of 15 can read and write,” (Jalal) Since school attendance is not mandatory like it is in America, less than half of the children of school age attend school. If Abida had the money for her school repairs more children could learn. Also, knowing that there is a higher birth rate then death rate, meaning that the population is only increasing, there will need to be more classrooms. Overall, by lending her money, Abida can add classrooms to her school and give children more educational opportunities.
Politics: 4th P of Poverty
Besides the people, place, and past of Pakistan, politics are very interesting. As far as a rule of law, Pakistan has a multiparty democracy, and their government is weak. Under the Constitution, the president is head of state. An electoral college, consisting of the members of Parliament and the members of the four provincial assemblies, elects the president to a five-year term. Due to attacks during the voting campaign that killed 130 people, only 55% of the population who were able to vote did. One weak leader was Sharif, the Prime Minister. Unfortunately, the country had a lot of problems at the time, and he failed to fix them. He was voted out while in office, and was replaced by Mamnoon Hussain. As a result of the government being weak, schools are not being supported by laws, such as taxes.
Peace: 5th P of Poverty
Lastly, the fifth P (peace) can explain the bad situation that people like Abida are in. For example, Pakistan is terrorized by groups like Al Qaeda and the Taliban. Also, although it was way back, the civil war still affects the country today. People of West and East Pakistan were divided as much by cultural differences as by geography. Only religion united the two groups. West Pakistan controlled the government, economy, and armed forces, which angered East Pakistanis. Bengali-speakers in East Pakistan also resented the government's efforts to impose Urdu as the official language. Pakistan has to put money and attention into fixing the unrest, opposed to supporting the schools.
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Works Cited
Jalal, Ayesha. "Pakistan." World Book Student. World Book, 2016. Web. 16 Dec. 2016.
Kiva. N.p., 2017. Web. 4 Jan. 2017. <https://www.kiva.org>.
Kramer, Anna. "Beyond Malala: Five stories of girls’ education in Pakistan." Oxfam. Oxfamamerica.org, 25 July 2013. Web.
Nazli, Rehana. "Mother of Peace." Hopeful Pakistan. N.p., 3 June 2012. Web. 4 Jan. 2017. <http://hopefulpakistan.org/blog/mother-of-peace-a-poem-by-rehana-nazli/>.
"Pakistan." World Geography: Understanding a Changing World, ABC-CLIO, 2016, worldgeography.abc-clio.com. Accessed 23 Dec. 2016.
"South Asia:: Pakistan." Central Intelligence Agency. N.p., 20 Dec. 2016. Web. 2 Jan. 2017.
Tariq, Khwaja Khusro. "To Fulfill Its Potential Pakistan Must Return to The Original Intent of The Lahore Resolution." Huffington post . N.p., 21 Mar. 16. Web.
The Global Goals For Sustainable Development. N.p., n.d. Web. 4 Jan. 2017. <http://www.globalgoals.org>.