Baitussalam Welfare Trust is developing constructive projects toward education to reach out to deprived and remote areas all over Pakistan. The need for a proper schooling system was always eminent but the 2022 flooding has aggravated the situation further. With more than 27,000 schools devoured by the "flood on steroids", almost 2 million children have lost all connection with their schools. Schools are all the more important now, not just for education but as a haven to bring routine back to the lives of children. 
Pakistan is the second number for most out-of-school children; the number is more than 22 million children! As ignominious as it may sound, almost 52% of the children out of school in Sindh belong to poor socio-economic backgrounds. Baitussalam Welfare Trust has taken initiative with the WM Creative Studio team to initiate a child-centric, neo-vernacular, modular approach school for the flood-affected region in Sindh. The Baitussalam School will be built at Jacobabad, the hottest city in the district in the province of Sindh. This school will serve, not just as an education hub but as a safe space for the community to thrive. Unlike conventional schooling, the purpose is to take school as a space where formal and informal learning is encouraged.
The core idea is to improve literacy, rejuvenate and strengthen community bonding through farming and appreciate children and parents to learn from each other.

School systems in the country are focused mainly on teaching via books, that is theoretical learning. But it is important to understand that theory, as well as practical learning, is significant for the development of the children in particular and the community in general. As both formal[conventional education via classroom studies] and informal[skill-based learning like farming, and learning through play] education opportunities are provided, children will be well-equipped for life skills as well.

Agriculture is one of the major means of livelihood for many in Pakistan but unfortunately, little or no technological advancement is observed in the agronomic sector of the country. The school can sow a seed to a new form of learning where children and the community can learn how, in order to grow in careers, only degree-based education is not imperative but skill-based learning is as valuable. 

It is also being observed that people are giving up their farming lands to find other revenue-generating opportunities. Flooding has added to this problem, as the stagnant water in fields has worsened the situation for the victims. In the coming years, the situation will only deteriorate if new ways of growing food are not explored. Communal farming is an imperative part of the school to make people and children understand how food self-sufficiency is achievable.

 

Baitussalam Welfare trust works for the betterment of the people. From providing medical aid, shelter, and food to equipping the young generation with education, BWT caters to the need of the neglected sector. After the 2022 flooding, the need to rehabilitate the flood victims arises, and that is when the organization met WM Creative Studio members. The co-founders of WM conducted a flood rehabilitation workshop at the University of Karachi. Being educationists and architects, the members of WM Creative Studio wanted to find sustainable and efficient solutions to rehabilitate the victims with dignity.
Both BWT and WM Creative Studio Re-Lab further wanted to build schools for the children who had lost access to their education due to inundation. 
The Baitussalam School project is being led by Faraz Hassan Syed who is the Director, of Planning, while the finances are managed by Muhammad Immad Ali, who is a Director of Finance. Saad Ilyas is a Civil Engineer and Project Manager of the project.

The design team of WM Creative Studio relab, the team consists of three architects and research assistants. Ar. Wajiha Siddiqui is also an educationalist at the University of Karachi. Ar. Muhammad Mehdi is an environmentalist and educationalist at Sir Syed University, along with Ar. Nafeel Qureshi, whose thesis recently won The Global Design Graduate Show 2022 by Gucci/Arts Thread. Nihal Ahmed, an architecture student is being engaged in research and documentation.

wmcreative studio relab official website link.
Baitussalam