A Bullet Can't Kill A Dream--A School for Iqbal
The life and death of young Iqbal Masih of. Pakistan inspired a group of middle school students to raise worldwide awareness and more than $100,000 to build a school in his honor. This project began in May, 1995 and since that time, it has not slowed down, never stopped, not for spring vacation, not for summer vacation, not ever. Many human rights activists, educators, students, and others have heard this story of Iqbal Masih and the students who have been working to honor his memory.. Here is the latest update, as reported by Ron Adams, Teacher Advisor no the Campaign.
How Did The School for Iqbal Begin?
In December, 1994, Iqbal Masih of Pakistan, age 12, traveled to Boston, Massachusetts to receive the Reebok Youth in Action Award. He visited students at the Broad Meadows Middle School in Quincy, Massachusetts and told them this story: At the age of. four, his parents sold him to a rug factory, where he was chained to a loom and forced to work long hours. He never had the opportunity to go to school. He eventually escaped from the factory, began LO speak out against the practice of child bonded labor, and was recognized with the award from Reebok. On April 16, 1995, Iqbal was shot while riding his bicycle near his grandparents, home in Pakistan. Many believe that he was murdered because of his activism.
Iqbal's death stunned and angered many people. Within weeks, a group of twelve year old students at Broad Meadows found a way to channel their anger into activism. They went online on the Scholastic Network and organized a Kids Campaign to Build A School for Iqbal; a school in his memory, in his name, and in his village in Pakistan. This electronic human rights campaign seemed to some adults as being too huge, too impossible, too much, but more than a year later there is much to report about the progress of the effort.
In February 1996 the students of the Broad Meadows MiddleSchool had sent out by e-mail, fax, and snail mail to 245 organizations around the world requests for proposals to build the school for Iqbal. They received TWELVE proposals back. They met for days and weeks, on weekends and before and after school to select the best organization to actually build the school in Pakistan in Iqbal's memory.
The Broad Meadows students recently announced that Sudhaar. a small non-governmental organization in Lahore, Pakistan, was chosen to become their partner Sudhaar will use the funds raised by the young activists to build a school for 200 of the most disadvantaged working children of the Punjab region (where Iqbal was born). Sudhaar will also use the money to create a small credit program in which 50 families can actually buy back children they sold into bondage. Finally, Sudhaar will establish the Iqbal Masih Education Foundation, which will take over all of the daily operating expenses of the school beginning the fourth year. One year after Iqbal's death these students are proud no say that they have kept Iqbal's ideas alive and are fulfilling his dream of a school for bonded children.
Broad Meadow Middle School
Class
Receives 1995 Reebok international Youth in Action Award
The Kids Campaign has received donations from schools, from groups, from churches and from individuals in all 50 states and from 12 different countries. They have over $112,100 in the bank.
So, you can see, THERE WILL BE A SCHOOL FOR IQBAL! Congratulations and thanks to each and every person of every age who has helped; not only to build a school, but also to build hope for children still in bonded labor. A bullet cannot kill a dream!
The campaign has received attention from all over the U.S. and beyond! On December 5, 1995, Reebok presented the 1995 Reebok International Youth in Action Award to the Students of the Broad Meadows Middle School. The award was presented by Susan Sarandon and tennis phenom Venus Williams. The award was presented at the historic Apollo Theater in New York City. Michael Stipe, Gregory Hines. Peter Gabriel, and Richard Gere were all present.
Campaign spokesperson Amanda Loos, age 14. spoke on the radio about the campaign and this was broadcast across the country on National Public Radio (with Scott Simon on "All Things Considered") and broadcast across Asia on both the "Voice of America" and Christian Science Monitor Radio stations on Christmas Day 1995. In addition, President Clinton sent a personal letter of congratulations to the campaign on April 12. 1996.
This campaign began when kids decided they could not be silent about child bonded labor (child slavery). The kids really made some noise online a They lifted an electronic chorus of e-mail voices against child bonded labor.
You can join, or you can continue to be a member. There is plenty of time. Details can be found on the Web Site called 'A Bullet Can't Kill A Dream." It has over a hundred pages of student written poems, posters, letters, petitions, video clips. audio clips, news clippings, and a guest book to sign. The purpose of the Web site is to spread the word globally about Iqbal, about child bonded labor, and about the Kids Campaign to Build A School tor Iqbal.
Rick Roth and other members of Amnesty international Group 133 in Somerville, Massachusetts, helped guide the student in the Web site development. Though his business contacts, money for modems as well as monetary donations for the project were procured. Roth, who continues to be actively involved as an advisor and supporter, stated "... most of the Web is dry, very informational. The Iqbal site is emotionally evocative. The bulletin board is a place for people to share their feelings in a community kind of a way."
The Web Site address is:
The students have been trying to raise awareness of child bonded labor and raise funds to build a School for Iqbal. They have asked classes and individuals to learn about Iqbal, about child bonded labor and to donate $12. The twelve dollar donation is symbolic. Iqbal was sold at age four for the equivalent of twelve U.S. dollars.
If you wish to donate, make the check payable to "A School for Iqbal Fund," and mail the check Lo A School for Iqbal, Hibernia Savings Bank, 731 Hancock Street, Quincy, MA()2170.
Spread the word!
For more information, please contact Ron Adams, Teacher Advisor to the Campaign, Broad Meadows Middle School, Quincy, MA. Call 617-984-8723 (voice) or 617-984-8834 (fax).