In most schools, lunch is a break.
In Surraya Schooling System, lunch is a lifeline.
Tucked inside Murad Memon Goth, far from the polished streets and glowing billboards of Karachi, stands a school that has quietly redefined what compassion looks like. Here, textbooks share space with cooking pots. Lessons in math sit side by side with lessons in dignity. And hunger — the silent enemy of education — is refused entry.
This is the school where no child studies hungry.
Poverty Doesn’t Just Empty Stomachs — It Empties Classrooms
Before the lunch program began, the school’s founder, Ismail Qamar, witnessed things that most people ignore:
A child fainting in the middle of class.
A student too weak to read because he hadn’t eaten since the night before.
Little girls secretly packing half of their lunch to take home for younger siblings.
These weren’t isolated incidents.
These were daily realities.
And in a community like Murad Memon Goth — where families fight for basic survival — hunger quietly kills more dreams than any textbook ever revives.
Surraya Schooling System realized something simple but life-changing:
You can’t teach a hungry child.
You must feed them first.
The Lunch Program That Changed Everything
Every single afternoon, the school kitchen comes alive.
Pots boil.
Rice steams.
Vegetables simmer.
And the whole school fills with the warm smell of fresh food.
Then something beautiful happens —
283 children sit together, eat together, laugh together.
No child is left out.
No child is embarrassed.
No child feels “less.”
Surraya doesn’t hand out meals like charity.
It serves them like family.
Because here, lunch is not a “facility.”
It is a statement of belief:
“Your stomach matters as much as your education.”
Attendance Went Up. Energy Went Up. Confidence Went Up.
The moment the lunch program started, the school saw a transformation:
Students stopped fainting.
Participation doubled.
Teachers noticed more focus, more smiles, more spark.
Children actually looked forward to school.
Food didn’t just fill stomachs.
It filled classrooms with energy.
For many children, this is the only real meal of their day — fresh, warm, and served with dignity.
Education Without Humiliation
Hunger often comes with shame.
But not here.
If a child’s family can’t afford meals at home?
No questions.
No judgments.
No paperwork.
Just food.
Served quietly.
Lovingly.
Because Surraya Schooling System operates on a belief that should be universal:
Poverty should never embarrass a child.
More Than a Meal — It’s a Foundation
When a child’s stomach is full:
Their mind can learn.
Their hands can write.
Their heart can hope.
Lunch became the foundation upon which:
better learning,
better attendance,
better behavior,
and better futures
were built.
The school didn’t need modern labs or expensive facilities to create change.
It needed compassion — and a kitchen.
The People Behind the Plates
What makes this program even more powerful is the team behind it:
The cooks who prepare meals as if feeding their own children.
The teachers who ensure every child eats enough.
The volunteers who help serve with smiles.
This isn’t “staff doing work.”
This is family feeding family.
And in a neighborhood where poverty often breaks community ties, Surraya has rebuilt them around a table.
Why This School Is Pakistan’s Most Compassionate
A school can have brilliant teachers.
A school can have an excellent syllabus.
A school can have great results.
But compassion?
That can’t be bought.
That can’t be faked.
That has to be lived.
And Surraya Schooling System lives it daily.
By feeding hungry stomachs, it feeds hungry dreams.
By respecting dignity, it restores childhood.
By understanding poverty, it breaks its cycle.
This Is Not Just a School — It’s a Promise
A promise that:
No child will sit through a lesson on an empty stomach.
No child will hide hunger out of shame.
No child will be punished for their circumstances.
And no child will ever be told “education is not for you.”
In a city of millions, this PKR 50 school in a forgotten neighborhood is quietly setting a standard others should follow:
Feed the child.
Teach the child.
Love the child.
And watch the future change.