Pasrur Boarding HouseThe small town of Pasrur lies 20 miles south of Sialkot and was one of the main centers for spreading Christianity in the Punjab. In 1898 a United Presbyterian Church was established in Pasrur. Then, in early 1900, the mission was unexpectedly plunged into orphanage work due to a severe famine. Ms. E. D. Anderson, a Pasrur resident, was involved in helping many of the victims of the famine. People arrived daily with their starving children and Ms. Anderson took these children into her own home. She also traveled to other areas of the country to rescue victims of the famine as well as those stricken by cholera. She brought 165 young boys and girls on a thousand-mile train trip back to Pasrur, where they were fed and brought up in a Christian environment.

Since the children were of school age, Ms. Anderson decided to teach them to read. With assistance from a local pastor and his wife, a small school was established on the verandah of Ms. Anderson’s home –a modest beginning for what would later become the boarding school at Pasrur. Additional help was obtained from a center for adult education and blind students where Braille was taught.

Another Christian lady, Ms. Dora Whitely, was involved in the school for many years. She started the school hostel in 1900 in the corridor of her house, where she fed girls who were suffering due to famine. In the operation of this hostel, the services of Ms. Alison, the Campbell family, and many other people are unforgettable. The hostel performed a great service to the Christian community of this area until 1972 when Christian institutions were nationalized, creating many internal and external problems and resulting in fewer hostel residents. Five years later the hostel was closed.

At present there are a large number of girls in the boarding house. Quality facilities are available, thanks to the Almighty and to generous donors who are concerned for the well-being and education of the residents.