Schools for orphans in Turbat .

By Sassi Nasir Ali

In Turbat, the second largest city in Balochistan, a heartbreaking reality persists , there are no schools for orphans. These children , without guidance or support , spend their days picking through garbage and begging on streets . Some were forced into this life after a school that once served them.closed its doors , leaving them without any oath to education .
Back in 2000, that school opened as a rare beacon of hope. It gave orphans something they had never had , a chance to shape their own futures. Dedicated teachers worked with children who had known only loss, helping them dream, learn, and imagine careers beyond survival. For a while, it worked.
Now that school lies in ruins. A lack of resources and support led to its closure, and the children it once served roam the streets again. The transformation that education promised has been replaced by the daily struggle to find food and shelter.
The numbers tell their own story. Pakistan has 616 orphanages. Balochistan, despite being the country’s largest province by land, has only 13. Turbat, its second largest city, has just one orphanage , and no functioning school for orphans. Quetta has five orphanages. Karachi has ten. The disparity is stark and difficult to justify.
Several factors explain this gap. Orphanages require sustained funding, proper infrastructure, and trained staff , all of which demand attention and investment that Turbat has rarely received. Awareness of the problem remains low, even within the province. The children affected are invisible to most policymakers and donors.
Education remains the most powerful tool available to break this cycle. It offers more than literacy and numeracy , it builds confidence, resilience, and the capacity for independent thought. For children who have lost everything, school provides structure, belonging,and the skills needed to escape poverty permeantly.
Without it ,they remain trapped in dependence and vulnerability.

Rebuilding the Orphan School of Turbat should be an immediate priority. But one school is not enough. The city needs multiple educational facilities designed specifically for orphaned children, institution that combine academic instruction with emotional support, counseling ,and vocational training.
These children need not only classrooms but also the tools to heal and build sustainable livelihoods.
Achieving this requires collaboration .
Government bodies must allocate funding and streamline permissions .
Rasing awareness is equally important.
Social media campaigns, community events, and educational programmes can highlight both the problem and the potential solutions. These children are not statistics ,they are individuals with capacity and ambition, waiting for opportunity.
Every child deserves education regardless of circumstance. In Turbat, that principle is being violated daily. Reversing this failure demands sustained commitment from multiple actors, but the alternative ,generations of children lost to poverty and neglect , is unacceptable. The school that closed can reopen. Others can be built. What remains is the will to act.