The famous TCF – ‘The Citizens Foundation’. If we all could know how to make dreams a reality, we all can fly to great heights… But the world is designed differently. It is those very few who with their sheer commitment, determination and persistence in their efforts and despite all the difficult challenges in this world, they still keep moving on and show it to the world the reality of their dream one day.
The inspiring success story of ‘The Citizens Foundation’ is one of those dreams achieved. And of course, we are proud that Pakistan is not lacking in such ambitious success stories for the world to know.
In 1995, it all started by a group of educated citizens in Pakistan (Karachi) concerned with the dismal state of education in Pakistan. It is now one of Pakistan’s leading organizations in the field of formal education.
As of 2011, TCF has established 730 purpose-built school units nationwide in 83 different locations Pakistan wide with an enrollment of 102,000 students. TCF encourages female enrollment and strives to maintain a 50% female ratio in most of its campuses. TCF has a full female faculty of 5,400 members. About 8,000 jobs have been created in communities in which TCF operates. All the schools are located in urban slums and rural areas of Pakistan. These are areas characterized by extreme poverty, where people neither have the means nor access to quality education
The vision of the Foundation is to remove barriers of class and privilege and to make the citizens of Pakistan Agents of Positive Change. They believe that access to basic education is the right of each individual and not a privilege. Apart from following the regular curriculum, they focus on the character building of students to equip them with high moral values and confidence.
To achieve these goals, the foundation is constantly surveying education-deprived locations in Pakistan to extend its network. Each new location is appraised through an extensive land survey, assessment of population, income level, number and standard of existing schools in the area, demand for new school units, availability of an accessible site to build a school, qualified teachers in the area and a number of other criteria.
TCF is registered in Pakistan as a company limited by guarantee under Section 42 of the Companies Ordinance, 1984 and its accounts are audited by KPMG Taseer Hadi and Co. TCF is ranked amongst the top scoring organizations certified by the Pakistan Centre for Philanthropy (PCP) and has received high non-profit organization (NPO) governance rating of GR8+ by JCR-VIS Credit Rating Co Ltd.
The Foundation aims to promote mass scale, quality formal education for less privileged children in an environment that encourages intellectual, moral and spiritual growth. The Foundation is pursuing its aims and goals in a responsible manner with honesty, integrity and transparency.
The Uplifting Through Education
Through education, The Citizens Foundation aims to transform children’s lives in many distinct ways better health care, family planning, and a tolerant and positive attitude towards society.
The initiatives are already showing great results. It fo course provides a good case being a Pakistani that we host such people who are committed to their native homeland wherever they are in this world.
People Behind the Dream
Trust is hard to earn and easy to destroy. The Citizens Foundation has put in more than 15 years of hard work which has built this trust in their donors worldwide. As they say ‘ seeing is believing’ . That is the simple recipe to trust as well success. We hope & wish that more and more people of Pakistan origin think about giving back to community as well.
We Need Such More Initiatives…
Pakistan ranks amongst the lowest countries according to the human development index of UNDP. With an estimated 173 million people, it is the 6th most populous country in the world.
Annual population growth rate is 1.8% and with this growth rate Pakistan’s population is expected to cross the 290 million mark by the year 2050.
Of the millions added to the population each year, only half will have access to any formal education – the remaining will never see the inside of a school.
Out of 173 million Pakistanis, 92 million adults of age 15 years and above (58%) are illiterate.
47% of all male adults of age 15 years and above are illiterate whereas for females the percentage is as high as 72%.
The state of government schools is very poor; 10.9% of them are without a proper building, 37.7% without a boundary wall, 33.9% without water, 59.6% without electricity and there is frequent absenteeism of teachers. Government expenditure on education is only 2.1% of GDP.
It is indeed commendable on the part of TCF team who has contributed immensely with the help of donors worldwide.
For the purpose of donations for this noble cause, you can always check for more details at their website : www.thecitizensfoundation.org
Read more: www.lahorebeat.com/tcf.html
