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Family Educational Services Foundation

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Areas of expertise & Fields of activity:	Economic and Social: Development Disabled Persons Education Women Women/gender Equality Youth Gender Issues and Advancement of Women: Capacity building Education and training of women Institutional mechanisms for the advancement of women Policy advice The girl child Women in power and decision-making Social Development: Disabled persons Social policy Youth
Geographic scope:	National
Country of activity:	Pakistan
Millennium Development Goals:	Achieve universal primary education Develop global partnership for development
Mission statement:	USAID Grant April 2012 Family Educational Services Foundation (FESF) is a non-profit, educational organization committed to enhancing the quality of life and education of the disadvantaged of Pakistan, with particular focus on deaf children and youth. To this end, FESF’s Deaf Reach program was established in 1998, with the purpose of providing academic and vocational education to deaf children throughout Pakistan, particularly in rural areas with little or no access to formal education for the Deaf. Deaf Reach is committed to providing: 1) academic and sign language training for deaf children, teenagers, and young adults, 2) vocational skills training to empower deaf youth to become self-sufficient and to acquire gainful employment, 3) specialized teacher training to capacitate teachers as educators of the Deaf, 4) educational access for female deaf students , and, 5) training in Pakistan Sign Language (PSL) for parents, as well as awareness programs and guidance counseling. FESF is also active in public awareness campaigns to educate the public regarding the needs of people with disabilities, and to promote voluntarism amongst the youth of Pakistan. Academic Training: The Deaf Reach program has been educating the Deaf in the two largest provinces of Pakistan, Sindh and Punjab, for over 14 years. Family Education Services Foundation (FESF) has developed an academic curriculum tailored to the needs of the Deaf, based on internationally accredited standards. FESF focuses on technology-based approaches to education. All Deaf Reach schools have visual/media aids in each classroom, and state of the art 25-station IT labs. Five Deaf Reach Schools and Training Centers are currently operating in Karachi, Hyderabad, Sukkur and Lahore, providing education and training to over 750 deaf children and teenagers per year. A new school (in Nawabshah) will open in August 2012 with capacity for 300 students. A seventh school, projected to open in March 2013 with capacity for 500 students is currently under construction in Rashidabad, Tando Allahyar district. Vocational Training and Job Placement: Deaf Reach training centers provide training in marketable skills and preparation for entering the job market. Certified vocational courses develop student capacity in such areas as IT, graphic and web design, hardware and networking, tailoring, sewing and embroidery, cooking and nutrition, and handicrafts. Via Deaf Reach’s Financial Inclusion Program initiated in 2006, nearly 800 young adult deaf students have received training for obtaining gainful employment, and/or in initiating micro enterprise endeavors. Its job-placement service has yielded a 53% employment rate for graduating students, with 420 acquiring employment through the program over its first five years in operation. Teacher Training: Facilities to train educators for the Deaf do not currently exist in Pakistan. The FESF Teacher Internship Program is one of the first of its kind to provide instruction and apprenticeship for young adults who seek a career in teaching deaf children. Since the program’s initiation in 2005, 78 teachers have been trained as educators of the Deaf, and are currently on staff at Deaf Reach schools. Services for parents of deaf children: Few parents of deaf children in Pakistan have access to resources to learn Pakistan Sign Language (PSL). Deaf Reach provides training workshops at all its schools for parents and families to teach communication and sign language skills, as well as to provide information and guidance for the care of their children. Deaf Reach is the only school system for the Deaf in Pakistan with a branch network of schools providing educational opportunities in rural areas. The Deaf Reach program is a scalable and replicable educational model to help meet the desperate need for Deaf Education in Pakistan.
Year established:	1984
Year of registration:	2002
Organizational structure:	FESF and its three subprograms (Deaf Reach, Eduserve, Community Services), are governed by articles of incorporation filed in its Articles of Memorandum and registration as a charitable foundation under the laws of the Security and Exchange Commission, Pakistan. These articles were developed by legal advisors who continue to serve the organization. Its strategic development is supervised by a seven-member board of directors whose roles and responsibilities are clearly outlined and defined. Each serves a minimum of two years, and new candidates are selected according to their ability to help FESF increase capacity and improve systems. The board meets twice a year to assess progress and to revisit future organizational priorities. It communicates with FESF staff through the executive director, who keeps the board apprised of new developments and/or decisions that need to be made. Administrative team members are also in frequent contact with board members. Trustees exercise direct jurisdiction over large capital expenditures and over new directions, programs, schools or policies. Daily operations are supervised by the administrative team, which is staffed by local and foreign professionals with years of field-based experience in education and international social services. There is a formalized management hierarchy of directors, resource mobilization specialists, program officers and school administrators, including teachers. Team members meet regularly with non-trustee stakeholders including students, parents, volunteers and donors to ensure the reciprocal flow of information regarding program efficacy and to best meet the needs of beneficiaries. Parents and students, in particular, are solicited for formative and summative evaluations to assess program impact on an annual basis. In addition, news updates, annual reports, and yearly audited financial statements are made available in print and on the FESF website. Media are regularly invited to the projects to raise public awareness about the positive impact FESF is having in local communities.
Number and type of members:	We were not sure as to the amount of information required. Seven (7) Board of Directors. All Pakistani. Five (5) Executive members. All expatriates
Affiliation with NGO networks:	Pakistan Alleviation Fund, i-Care, Network of Organization Working with People with Disabilities in Pakistan, Family Care Foundation, RutgersWPF
Funding structure:	Funds from other Non-Governmental Organizations Fundraising campaigns Fees for education and training services Donations and grants from domestic sources Grants from Governments Foreign and international grants

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