Meet the change makers who brought 225,000 students to schools across Pakistan

Quarter of a million children were enrolled in 65 districts under the ILMPOSSIBLE programme, 40% students are girls.
Published May 18, 2017

Over 150 British Council Pakistan volunteers, 'ILMbassadors', community mobilisers, teachers, students and partners from 65 districts convened in Islamabad at the ILMSUMMIT 2017, to celebrate and share inspirational stories and achievements of the 225,000 students admitted to schools under the ILMPOSSIBLE programme.

These school children — out of which 40% are girls — were enrolled in 65 districts across Pakistan.

Photo courtesy: British Council Pakistan
Photo courtesy: British Council Pakistan

During the past three and a half years, the project has trained over 15,000 youth volunteers who have worked with 350 community-based committees and influencers to get over 225,000 out of school children into 35,000 government primary schools. The volunteers or 'ILMbassadors' dedicate time and effort to access the remotest communities within Pakistan, and persuade parents and schools to work together to address key admission challenges.

Their stories and journeys have been nothing but amazing.

Khuda Bux — Inspiring change through education

Khuda Bux is a young ILMbassador from a small village near Larkana. His physical impairment was initially a great challenge for him, but rather than accepting his disability as a limitation of what he can achieve, he chose to break through the hurdles in his way.

After being associated with the ILMPOSSIBLE programme, he engaged more than 30 volunteers from his Union Council and was able to enrol over 350 out-of-school children. He also resumed his own education in SZABIST Larkana through the Prime Minister’s Youth Development Programme, went on to secure the top position throughout Pakistan and was presented an award by the Prime Minister Office for his achievement.

Since then, Khuda Bux has gone on to register his own organisation under the name ‘Youth Empowerment Services’ with the vision to empower youth and motivate them to do volunteer work for the rights of children in their communities.

Naseem Khoso — The woman behind the enrolment of 1,000 children in Shikarpur

There is a great need for female role models who advocate girls’ education in Pakistan, as girls make up more than half (55%) of the 25 million out-of-school children in the country. Naseem Khoso, an ILMbassador from District Shikarpur, UC Mugherani, is one of these role models.

Naseem attended ILMbassadors training in 2015, after which she started a door-to-door household survey in two villages in UC Mughrani. She explained the need for and benefits of education for children to many parents and succeeded in admitting 700 children into school.

Naseem’s dedication can be seen through her donation of her own personal plot for the construction of a school. She also succeeded in enrolling 300 girls into this school during the current school year.

Umar Bux — Voluntary teacher on a mission

Umar Bux, an ILMbassador from UC Lohi in district Ghotki, started his journey by identifying out-of-school children in his community and bringing them back to schools. In a year, he was able to register 32 children, but his work didn’t stop there. Realising that there was a lack of teachers in the school in his community, Umar took it upon himself to fill the gap, and started teaching voluntarily to a group of 48 students.

Inspired by the willingness of the children to learn and attend schools, Umar’s next aim was to build a proper school building in the village. His vision finally became a reality when the school was opened in his village under public private partnership with the Sindh Education Foundation (SEF).

Furthermore, Umar, along with other ILMbassadors and community members, was able to convince the people in his community to send more children to school. From an initial group of 48 children, Umar now has 270 students in his school, with a teaching and support staff of 12.

These are just a few stories - the entire programme is designed to support school enrolment agendas in all four provinces and teams of volunteers and ambassadors are working closely with the Ministries of Education at the provincial level and District Education Officials at the district level to guarantee close coordination.

Enabling change by empowering young people with the right skills

Speaking at the ILMSUMMIT, Rosemary Hilhorst, Country Director, British Council Pakistan, shared her long-term vision for the ILMPOSSIBLE programme. “During our 70 years of work in Pakistan, the British Council has worked with some remarkable people and organisations. I am fortunate to have met the people and partners who made this programme a reality,”

"This programme is an excellent example of the collective effort of different segments of society coming together for a single goal and a testament to the power of young people. They are front and centre of the conversation in Pakistan today, and we look forward to working with them to support Pakistanis in achieving their potential," she said.

The ILMSUMMIT is unique in its nature as it brings together key policy makers, parliamentarians, academia, civil society representatives, volunteers and project ambassadors, students, teachers and community mobilisers from 65 districts of Pakistan.

“Education and youth is the priority of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and we are utilising the expertise of British Council in training 83,000 teachers in the province,” said Atif Khan, Elementary and Secondary Education Minister, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, one of the attendees at the ILMSUMMIT 2017.

“We can ignite the youth’s potential if we provide them quality education,” he added.


The British Council is the UK’s international organisation for cultural relations and educational opportunities. They create friendly knowledge and understanding between the people of the UK and other countries by making a positive contribution to the UK and the countries they work with – changing lives by creating opportunities, building connections and engendering trust.


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