Years ago, I wrote an article about my first job out of business school. I described it as “the best job in Pakistan” — being tasked with being the “documenter of good news” in a country that has been hanging by a thread throughout its history. I was working for TCF, an ambitious national nonprofit that built state-of-the-art schools for children in impoverished communities across the country. My job entailed writing about these children and their teachers for fundraising purposes.
I visited over a dozen schools during those two years, all located in urban wastelands or remote villages that lacked infrastructure, including functional schools. Our meticulously designed school buildings always stood out in fascinating contrast with their crumbling surroundings, like the time-traveling Tardis from the BBC sci-fi show “Doctor Who,” housing an impenetrable sanctuary for its young travelers.
About the author
Madiha Waris
Madiha Waris is a communications strategist and writer with two decades of experience leading communications and storytelling projects in the development sector. Born and raised in Pakistan, Madiha is now based in Washington, D.C., leading global communications at RRI, the world's largest coalition of Indigenous, local community, and Afro-descendant rights organizations.
