Dar al Zahra is a school for Iraqi orphans. It is a project of Al Anwar An Najafiya foundation, which is an NGO under the patronage of Grand Ayatollah Sheikh Bashir Al-Najafi (May Allah prolong his life)
The population of Iraq has suffered from decades of conflict, resulting in humanitarian catastrophes and a disproportionately large number of orphans.
Under the leadership of His Eminence Grand Ayatollah Sheikh Bashir Al-Najafi (May Allah prolong his life) and his foundation, Al Anwar Al Najafiyah, visitors of Amir Al Momineen in the holy city of Najaf commenced humanitarian work to uplift the residents of the city and Iraq in general. The activities over the last decade have included food distribution, medical aid, clothing, and blanket drive.
The long term solution for the elimination of poverty is to educate the nation. Hence, Dar Al Zahra School was formed in 2008 under Al Anwar Al Najafiyah to cater to the basic needs of orphans in and around the holy city of Najaf. Initially, the school was located in a commercial area in the old city and catered to 200 students, mostly orphans. Education experts from the Najaf and Kufa University were consulted in setting up the school, which served levels KG to Grade 2. As the students grew along with new enrolments, Dar Al Zahra School moved to a bigger campus in 2011 to an area designated to Al Anwar Al Najafiyah in the new city for educational institutions. Here, the school catered to over 500 orphans.
With the success of Dar Al Zahra Schools and growing demand from the local population, a new state-of-the-art, multi-purpose school was planned in 2014. The new school was completed and opened in February 2016’’. The new school will take Dar Al Zahra to new heights as it aims to serve a student population of 1200 – more than doubling the previous schools capacity – with a goal to be the best school in the Republic of Iraq. At present (2021) Dar Al Zahra caters to over 1000 students.