Imagine walking up a steep hill every single day just to fetch clean and safe water; this was the life of Mrs. Iqbal Begum, born in the 1940s in a remote mountainous region of Pindpail, Azad Kashmir, bordering Indian-occupied Kashmir.

With 15 million people scrambling to be on the ‘right’ side of the new border during the partition of Pakistan and India, life became immensely difficult. Masses of the population were on food rations, and miles had to be walked to gain access to the limited food that was distributed by the government of Pakistan. Along with everyone else in search of food, my grandmother too went to get her share, leaving her two young infant daughters behind, when tragedy struck. On her arrival, she found both of her daughter’s dead due to eating poisonous berries, as they could no longer bear the hunger and wait for desperately needed food to come. This tragedy still haunts all of our family today.

As if life wasn’t difficult alreadyMy grandfather, who was an animal trader, accidentally crossed the border while cutting grass for the animals. Upon stepping on the other side, he got captured by the Indian army and was never returned to our family. My grandfather was never given a chance to say goodbye or have the right to be buried. Hence, my mother could never visit the grave of her father to honour his memory. One can’t imagine the pain and difficulties that must have been brought upon a young girl growing up in such an environment. The life struggle of my mother continued even after marriage. My mom and dad got married in 1960; they had four children, with me being the youngest. My father migrated to Hong Kong in search of better economic opportunities, but sadly, he passed away in 1983, when I was just three years old. It was like dark clouds had enveloped our happiness.

All I remember from my childhood is seeing my mother work tirelessly on our land, farming, and trying her absolute best to give us a better life as a single mother. Her only source of support was my older brother in Hong Kong and our aunt, who was like a second mother to us. These two inspirational ladies were a source of strength during a difficult time. They were well respected for their bravery, courage, hard work, and support that they provided to people in need in our village. It was due to their social work that they had the privilege of being a respected voice in the community and in matters relating to our village in what was predominantly a male-dominated society.

As I was growing up, as a result of my mom's hard work and aspirational ethics, we not only had enough food for ourselves, but we also provided support to the people in local villages who were not so lucky. I have always seen my mom praying for and thinking of all those people in need who are less fortunate than ourselves. Even to this day, my mom is always worried and concerned about people’s welfare in our village as well as surrounding villages. Having had the honour of sharing my mom’s vision for supporting and being a helping hand for the less fortunate, we have decided to carry her vision forward through IBF.

IBF’s vision is to create a purposeful and aspirational environment and provide that vital support and training to those who need it the most in the remote villages of Azad Kashmir.

The aim is for IBF to set up learning centres where anyone can expect us to be that helping hand to support them in learning essential life and work skills that are necessary, giving every individual the opportunity to become self-sufficient in earning their livelihoods and improving the standards of living for themselves, their children, and their families. Our learning centres will provide training and support to the most disadvantaged in the local communities.

To achieve this, IBF will be funded through charity, but mostly by our companies owned by the sons of Mrs. Iqbal Begum.

• LearnaidAid Nursery LTD
• Smart -Tech Logistics(HKG) LTD
• Smart- Tech Electronics (HKG) LTD
• Moiza Builders

We are delighted to announce that we are currently working on opening a primary school in the village where my mom was born and raised. We are passionate about providing each and every young child with the best start in their life to achieve success in their personal journey of learning and achievement, mirroring the opportunities we provide here at LearnAid in the UK.

IBF will be making all necessary arrangements to facilitate the learning needs of the local village, including providing support in literacy and numeracy for adults.

The next stage of development is to establish a learning centre on premises owned and built by my late father, Mr. Rafiq, in Seri. This centre will provide free training in life and work skills like tailoring for girls from the most disadvantaged families so that they are able to aspire to secure a better life for themselves and their families.

If you would like any further information about our project or would like to help in any way, please get in touch!

Together, we can make a change for a better world.