From one classroom to 8,000 smiles, one valley at a time.
In November 2021, the Million Smiles Foundation opened a single school for ten children in Neelum Valley. By 2026, that trail reaches 8,000 children across three mountain regions. Here is how the climb unfolded.
A single classroom in Neelum Valley
The first MSF school opens its doors — ten children, one room, one beginning high in the mountains of Azad Kashmir.
Five schools, a growing valley
Families across Neelum send their children to learn. Enrolment leaps to 1,100 as the program finds its feet.
Crossing into Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
Seventeen schools now span two regions as the program reaches beyond Azad Kashmir — 2,500 children learning.
Reaching Gilgit-Baltistan
Thirty-two schools span three regions. With Gilgit-Baltistan added, 5,478 children are now in class across the mountains.
Reaching every valley
Eight more MSF Schools opened for out-of-school children of the mountain valleys — carrying the program to 8,000 children reached by 2026.
8,000 children across 40 schools
From a single valley in Azad Kashmir to 40 schools across Gilgit-Baltistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Azad Kashmir — and the trail keeps climbing.
Help us reach the next valley
Every school on this trail started with someone who believed mountain children deserve a classroom. The next ones are waiting.
Built with ♥ by the Million Smiles Foundation · Quality Education for out-of-school children of Pakistan's mountain valleys.