Social Entrepreneur in Pakistan

    Mr. Kashif Khawaja one of the trustees of Kaghan Memorial Trust is a normal human being of the society like us .He did his MBA from UK and came back to Pakistan to provide services to his country .He started his career in field of IT (information technology) .He was also carrying on his business of construction normally until October 8, 2005.

On the morning of October 8, 2005 the most devastating natural disaster (earthquake of magnitude 7.6 on the Richter scale) devastated the northern areas of Pakistan. Official reports of infrastructure damage and of the lives lost put the death toll at over 77,000, with another 3.3 million people rendered homeless. Mr. Kashif and the other trustees lost their beloved friend in this destructive incident, who used to live in kaghan .In search of their friend’s dead body they went to kaghan.As described by Mr. Kashif, all the roads and paths were shattered and blocked which made them walk in order to pursue their search. During their walk they witnessed the destructions caused by the earthquake .The biggest tragedy was that nearly half of the casualties in this disaster were children as the ceilings of their schools collapsed on that school morning. Hundreds of schools in the affected areas were reduced to rubble as witnessed by Mr. Kashif and the other trustees. A whole generation was lost in a matter of seconds, which influenced and motivated them to initiate relief activities.

Love for their country and for their fellow human beings motivated Mr. Kashif and the other trustees to take part in relief activities. Later on they all realized that it’s not enough and they should come up with some long term project in order to recover their loss primarily the loss of young talented students. This motivation of all trustees leads to the development of Kaghan Memorial Trust. The Kaghan Memorial Trust (KMT), a non-profit Charitable Trust was registered in Islamabad Pakistan in January 2006 as the aftermath of the earthquake.  The sole immediate objective of the Trust was to establish the Kaghan Memorial School in the Kaghan Valley of Northern Pakistan that offers a first-class education to children of this severely hit region.  This School is dedicated to the memory of the thousands of children who lost their lives to the earthquake. The basic mission of their School is “Supporting sustainable long-term development in the earthquake-affected Kaghan Valley in Northern Pakistan by establishing a school that provides free education of a high standard to children from the valley”. During the interview Mr. Kashif highlighted the point that, they are not establishing an ordinary school but they are constructing a school which would compete on the international standards.Finances for building and operation of the School are being raised by KMT through an extensive fundraising program that is being strengthened, diversified and institutionalized over time.

The Kaghan Memorial Trust is dedicated to developing the Kaghan Memorial School into an institution of excellence where underprivileged children are able to receive world class schooling free of cost. Recognizing the fact that the children who eventually graduate from this School will still be poor and will, in all probability, not be able to afford higher education, the Trustees of KMT have plans for establishing a scholarship fund once construction work on both campuses is completed. This fund will sponsor the university expenses of the Kaghan Memorial School graduates who manage to get admission in universities in Pakistan and even abroad. The ultimate objective of the Trust is to take responsibility for the complete education of the children enrolled in its School, right up to university level. This is important in order to ensure that the children who get a start in the School are able to complete their education and to have a real chance at achieving their individual potentials. This will help students to enhance their skill and help in progress of the economy of their country .

By:

Anum Sajid

Sec H

09U0289