March 17, 2017

Dear Friends,

Spring is on the horizon! Despite winter's last fury, we have one week until the official start of the spring season. Renewal and rebirth is the promise of spring -- the promise of brighter days, fruitful blooms, and outdoor gatherings with friends and neighbors. Promise is what you bring to the children of Pakistan. With your involvement and contributions, we are promising a happy and prosperous future. March marks the beginning of a new school year for PEB. Let us pray for the success of all students as they embark on their journey. 

"Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect." ~ Romans 12:2, ESV

A New School Year Begins!

PEB 2017-2018 School Year

The new academic year in PEB schools commences in March each year. The PEB Academic team has finalized the academic calendar for 2017-18, and established the book-list and school curriculum for the new school year. This year a completely new curriculum has been designed for Classes Nursery and Prep. This new curriculum integrates all subjects: math, literacy, and sciences. The "Letters and Sounds" phonics program, that was introduced in schools last year, is an important part of the new curriculum. On February 22nd, a training session was held at Kinnaird Academy to introduce the new Nursery curriculum.                        

The  PEB Academic team always works hard to help students excel, and in order to help the students improve their marks, pre-board examinations are conducted each year. In February, Classes 11 and 12 received their pre-board examinations to assess their needs and skill-set. These students will appear for the government board examinations in April and May this year. 

We wish PEB students a very prosperous year! 
  

Scholarships

It's never too late to donate toward our scholarship program! The wait list is long and the desire to learn is strong. With your assistance, PEB can give every child the opportunity to experience their right to an education. 

• $365 per year ($31/month) covers the cost of one day-student's tuition, books, supplies and uniforms.  
• $730 per year ($62/month) covers the cost of one residential boarding student's tuition, books, supplies, uniform and room & board.

PEB News

NEW Pasrur Boys' School!

The Pasrur Christian Girls School serves girls Pre-K through grade 12 and boys Pre-K through grade 6. After grade 6, Pakistani law mandates boys and girls be educated separately so boys grades 7-10 have had to be turned away. The new Boys School would educate boys from 6-10th grade. The total cost is $200,000.

The Pasrur Boys School project has received a generous donation from Amy and David Nicholson for $100,000 (through the Wilson Family Foundation). This gift is donated in memory of their daughter, Tonya Marie Nicholson and in honor of Veda Gill.
 
Friends of Pasrur is also excited to announce that the Presbytery of East Iowa  voted to sponsor a presbytery-wide fundraising campaign to raise additional funds for the Boys school. 

Thank you Presbytery of East Iowa and Friends of Pasrur  for their support of this important project. It is a dream come true for the boys and their families.

To learn more about ongoing PEB building projects, please visit our Friends of PEB website. 

Other PEB Projects...

Meet the People Behind Friends of PEB!

Let's say "hi" to Stuart Baskin...Friends of PEB Board Vice President!

Q: How did you learn about PEB/ FOPEB and how long have you been involved?                                                                                   A: The first I heard of the PEB was in 2013 when Tom Finley Brown (former Interim Pastor in the church I serve, and now a board colleague) called me to see if I could arrange for a week of speaking engagements for Veda Gill. Veda came to East Texas in March, 2014, and we quickly became friends. Later that same year, I found myself travelling to Pakistan. The next thing I knew, I was on the Friends of the PEB Board. I’m addicted now.
Q: What work experience do you bring to your current position?      A: I have been in ministry in one way or another for 36 years, and have been ordained as a Teaching Elder for 30 of those years. I also have a graduate degree in the history of Christian missions. I have led many groups on national and international mission trips.
Q: What inspired you to be an integral member of FOPEB?                A: Becoming involved in the work of FOPEB was easy. What makes the PEB/FOPEB so compelling for me is that I believe in the power of education to change lives. It not only changes the lives of the children we help educate, but it also changes the future of their families. Not only that, education, and especially the education of girls, has the power to change a nation.
Q: What do you hope to achieve?                                                       A: I hope to significantly increase the amount of money that FOPEB raises each year to repair and replace the buildings at the schools and to provide scholarships for more and more children.
Q: Name 3 character/personality traits that define you?                    A: Good sense of humor. Empathy. Good listener.
Q: Name 1 thing you cannot live without:                                            A: Tough question. There are lots of candidates: God, faith, family, friends. But I think at the end of the day it is a sense of purpose in life.
Q: What is your favorite thing to do?                                                  A: Another tough question. There’s not one thing I would say is my favorite thing to do. But I do enjoy reading, sailing, travelling, and cooking.
Q: Tell us something about yourself that may surprise us:                A: Ok, this is a little off beat, but I once jumped out of a perfectly good airplane at 3,000 feet. I was a sophomore (=wise fool) in college and some friends and I took skydiving lessons and we each made one jump. Of course, I didn’t tell my parents until it was done. They were not happy. But I was.
  

2017 Pakistan Trips!

PEB-Pakistan Exploration Trip

Dates for the 2017 Exploration Trip have been announced! November 9th through 20th will be the travel dates for this exciting trip. Come join us and meet with PEB students and staff, explore the schools and experience Pakistani culture. See how your contributions have been put to good use and witness how your generosity is making a positive impact on the children of Pakistan. If you are interested in more information regarding the PEB-Pakistan Exploration Trip, please contact us at info@friendsofpeb.org. 

PEB-Pakistan Teacher Training Retreat

Super Simple Ways to Give...

Shopping...the AmazonSmile way!