Mahvash and Jahangir Siddiqui Foundation

History

Mahvash and Jahangir Siddiqui Foundation (MJSF) is a non-profit charitable foundation based in Pakistan.The foundation was established on 9 January 2003 by Jahangir Siddiqui, an entrepreneur, with his wife Mahvash Siddiqui, a retired civil servant and university professor. The Foundation is a charitable, non-profit concern, established under Section 42 of the Companies Ordinance 1984, in Pakistan. The Foundation is a major donor to philanthropic causes in Pakistan.

Partners

The Foundation has partnered with internationally known organizations that share the same concerns and a common motive, vision, and mission. These include:

Education

Mahvash & Jahangir Siddiqui Foundation’s educational initiatives encompass support for special education, higher education, vocational training, and school development in rural areas - particularly the two most populated provinces of Pakistan, Sindh and Punjab. Its partners include Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar, the National University of Singapore, the Progressive Education Network and the Fakhre Imdad Foundation, among others.

JS Academy for the Deaf

MJSF has supported JS Academy for the Deaf since its inception in 2004. The academy is one of the leading institutions in Pakistan which promotes modern educational methods for the disabled with emphasis on communication skills through sign language. JS Academy for the Deaf partners with professionals in the field within Pakistan and abroad to enable best practices and enhanced standards of coaching.

JS Academy for the Deaf is widely recognized in Pakistan for enabling highest standards of education to those with hearing impairments. The school is managed by a governing body and overseen by a Board of Trustees. Registered with the local education departments and the Intermediate Board of Education, the Academy caters to students from nursery to the higher secondary levels. The Academy has applied with the Higher Education Commission (HEC) for necessary permissions to introduce graduate programs in the future.

Each year, over 175 students use the educational services of the academy. It is housed in a purpose built building, which has facilities like play areas, a gymnasium and a cafeteria. The faculty places great emphasis on extra-curricular activities for students and the facility has fully functional departments equipped with a computer lab, sewing and embroidery rooms, library and a Sign Language Research and Training center. Every year, there are special shows and competitions organized to showcase the artistic skills, theatrical and musical talents of its student body.

JS Academy for the Deaf hosts a cultural program for the special children

Wednesday, 15 September 2015: JS Academy hosted a cultural program at a local park in Karachi to spread the message of unity in Pakistan. Nearly 400 special children attended the prestigious event. The theme for the event was "Unity & Friendship, Hum Sub Ek Hain meaning we are all one and we don’t believe in differentiating between normal and disabled".

Special Children from other schools were also invited which provided everyone with a great opportunity to interact. Chief Guest, Mr Nisar Khuhro stated "he looks forward to supporting the future of these children through different ways possible and this is a great project by the JS Academy for the Deaf. We must promote such initiatives to bring these children into the mainstream"

JS Academy for the deaf has been involved in educating the deaf children and promoting the importance of sign language. Through its education and literacy programs, the academy has provided a great platform for both boys and girls to further develop themselves to contribute back to the society. JS Academy for the Deaf has been imparting education to the differently abled children for the past 10 years along with higher education up to bachelor's degree level. The school is run on charity received from individuals, philanthropists and the Mahvash & Jahangir Siddiqui Foundation.

JS Academy for the Deaf celebrates Graduation of its First B.A. Batch

Karachi: JS Academy for the Deaf celebrated the graduation ceremony of their first batch of B.A. students _ out of a batch of 10 students, 3 acquired distinctions while the others scored a percentage over 70% in their B.A. final examination. Since 2012 the Academy has affiliation with Karachi University to undertake BA Degree Program.

Ms. Laila Dossa, Chairman of Noor-E-Ali Trust, and Mr. Kalim-ur-Rahman, Advisor to Mahvash & Jahangir Siddiqui Foundation applauded the administration, instructors and students for their hard work and brilliance and wished them luck for future endeavors. Ms. Laila Dossa, appreciated Mr. Jahangir Siddiqui’s continual support for the cause and emphasized it was very important to provide job opportunities for people with special needs.

Fakhre Imdad Foundation (FIF)

Fakhre Imdad Foundation (FIF) supports educational institutions in rural Sindh. MJSF works closely with FIF, which is currently running two schools, in Mirwah Gorchani and Manderawala of District Mirpurkhas. MJSF aims to introduce the ‘regional school model’ in other districts of Sindh over the next few years.

Mirwah Gorchani School was established in 2002 and since then it has evolved from primary to intermediate level education. The school has an average strength of 450 students. In line with the vision, another school on the same model was developed in Manderawala region of the same district. Started in 2012, the school currently offers primary education to approximately 200 students. The schools are equipped with state of the art computer labs, libraries and playgrounds. Mirwah Gorchani School encompasses a special vocational center where regular vocational classes are held for women.

Progressive Education Network (PEN)

MJSF recently partnered with Progressive Education Network (PEN) to extend its educational support in Punjab and aiming to improve the quality of educational standards in the existing 23 adopted public schools of Pakistan. PEN is governed by an executive board of directors and follows an innovative and proactive methodology to address educational emergency in Pakistan. Beyond merely developing the infrastructure of schools, PEN follows a strategic plan focusing on adopting a school, improving its management through students’ assessment, teachers’ training and syllabus development.

PEN currently has a presence in the Punjab and is seeking to expand its base in the regions of Sindh. The Network caters to over 7000 students, enrolled in the adopted schools, under the program. The model envisions improving the educational quality standards through an adoption of over 800 public schools, impacting over 230,000 students across the country.

Higher Education University Grants

MJSF has granted funds to LUMS (School of Science and Engineering), Karachi School for Business and Leadership (KSBL) and Institute of Business Administration, University of Karachi(IBA) for institutional development.

MJSF also granted PKR 30 million (approximately US$500,000) to LUMS to build the Jahangir Siddiqui Hostel, a dormitory for male students as part of the development of the School of Science and Engineering at LUMS.

Summer Program at the National University of Singapore

The National University of Singapore is Singapore's oldest and largest university. Each summer, NUS offers an intensive two-week program on Economic and Enterprise Development for students from different universities in various parts of the world. Over a period of two weeks, the program highlights the importance of entrepreneurial development through an array of seminars, guest speaker sessions and case visits. It is also "an excellent opportunity for participants to learn about Singapore: how the smallest nation in Southeast Asia has progressed into a modern city-state and has grown into a thriving centre of commerce and industry."

MJSF, along with the Sajjad Foundation, provides scholarships to undergraduate students from Pakistan for the summer Program at NUS. Through the program, MJSF intends to impart entrepreneurial knowledge and provide real life experience of urban development to students from Pakistan. Students are selected through a merit-based competition, and represent different universities and colleges in Pakistan. The program was initiated in 2008 with 20 students being interviewed from 3 universities and has progressed to 244 applicants from 58 universities interviewed in 2012. Its outreach increased from 2 cities in 2008 to 15 cities in 2012. In its 7th year in 2014, the program sent 15 students from Pakistan to the summer program at NUS - the students came from universities across the country, including IBA, Szabist, LUMS, KSBL, NUST, NUCES, IMS, BUITEMS and GIKI.

Chamalang Beneficiary Education Program

On behalf of the Mahvash & Jahangir Siddiqui Foundation (MJSF) Mr. Ali Raza Siddiqui, Director MJSF and Mr. Imran Haleem Shaikh, EVP JS Bank presented a cheque of PRK 15 million to Commander Southern Command, Lt. General Naseer Khan Janjua for the Chamalang Beneficiary Education Program (CBEP) in Quetta.

Chamalang Beneficiary Education Program (CBEP) is one of the largest social sector development programmes in Baluchistan, being supervised by the Pakistan Army. The project which started with an initial enrolment of 303 students of Kohlu District and Loralai in 2007 has grown appreciably to 3761 students from 23 Districts of the province. The project bears expenditure on fees of day scholars besides bearing the cost of boarding, lodging, books, uniforms and tuition fees of students in boarding schools all over the country.

Sustainability of this programme is set to accrue desired dividends as this educated youth becomes a part of the work force in the various sectors of the economy. This continuity is ensured by active participation of development institutions and donor agencies.

MJSF sponsors young professionals for European Academy of Diplomacy Program

In its first ever collaboration with the European Academy of Diplomacy, MJSF sponsored young professionals, selected from all over Pakistan for the European Academy of Diplomacy Summer Programs taking place in Warsaw, Poland. These two week long courses were for the school of fundamental diplomatic skills program and the school of advanced diplomatic skills program. The programs focus on diplomacy, public speaking, bilateral negotiations, fundamentals of leadership, diplomatic protocol, international business and working in multinational organizations. MJSF aims to invest in progressive learning programs such as these for the betterment of Pakistan.

Health

Mahvash and Jahangir Siddiqui Foundation participates in making donations to the health sector through its Zakat Fund and is considered one of the largest donors with continuous annual commitment to a number of large hospitals. Zakat Funds are used for the most underprivileged patients at these hospitals who cannot afford healthcare. It supports a lot of big hospitals like NICVD and Karachi National Hospital along with others.

Health program at Weill Cornell Medical College, Qatar

MJSF sponsors students for the Global and Public Health program at Weill Cornell Medical College, Qatar. This is a four-week medical program held at the Weill Cornell Medical College, Qatar. This is the first year of this program. This program will help students to learn about the latest research being undertaken in the field of improving Global and Public health, success of the Qatar health policies and how this nation in the Middle East transformed itself into a modern city-state with excellent health facilities to cater to the needs of its citizens.

The Cardiovascular Foundation

The National Institute of Cardiovascular diseases (NICVD) has added 30 beds to its cardiac emergency ward. The cost of this project was Rs. 15 million. MJSF contributed Rs.11 million for the cause.

Karachi National Hospital

The foundation built a fistula unit at the Karachi National Hospital in 2008 with many patients having been treated to date. Operating costs are estimated between Rs.350,000-380,000 per patient. All the deserving patients are treated free of charge under this program and have access to the reputable urologists and gynecologists of Pakistan. Following are some other programs which have been contributed and served by Mahvash and Jahangir Siddiqui foundation:

Wheelchair distribution

MJSF has been on the forefront of addressing the issue of disability in Pakistan. Recently, it collaborated with the Walkabout Foundation to distribute customized wheelchairs. The Walkabout Foundation is a non-profit organization that focuses on funding research to find a cure for paralysis. The project was facilitated by Special Talent Exchange Program (STEP) and United Nations (UN).

Autism spectrum disorders

A seminar on Autism Awareness was organized in Lahore by the Autism Spectrum Disorders Resource Centre. Rukhsana Shah, CEO of ASDRC, expressed her gratitude to the MJSF for its financial and moral support, which enabled the Centre to offer the finest training to teachers and parents free of cost. Dr. Shazia Maqbool, Head of Developmental Paediatrics at Children’s Hospital, Lahore, was the key note speaker. She stated that her Autism Unit was designed to cater for 3000 children in a year, but now the Unit is catering for 30,000 children annually. Dr. Fauzia Saleem, speech pathologist at the CMH Lahore, gave a detailed presentation on language, speech and communication disorders, especially among children with ASD. Ms. Maliha Latif of M/s Impact Psyche Consultants, gave a presentation on ADHD, while Ms. Asma Ahmed, Clinical Psychologist at ASDRC discussed treatment and management techniques for children with ASD.

Vocational training

Mahvash and Jahangir Siddiqui Foundation with the Public Private Partnership Unit of the Planning & Development Department, Government of Sindh has opened a Vocational Center at the FIF School Mirwah Gorchani.

Social Enterprise and Sustainable Development

Mahvash and Jahangir Siddiqui Foundation has commitments to various foundations and is involved in the active development of the community through different projects. Grants create dependency and to alleviate poverty the ultimate solutions are the projects that are economically productive and sustainable.

Acumen Fund

MJSF has a 5-year commitment to the Acumen Fund in Pakistan, which is an affiliate of the Acumen Fund, a leading global sustainable development organization. In Pakistan, the Acumen Fund has been responsible in providing support and capital to organizations such as Kashf Foundation and Khuda ki Basti. The Foundation has granted US$1 million to the Acumen Fund. The Acumen Fund is a non-profit global venture capital fund founded in 2001 to address the issue of global poverty by investing in companies that bring critical goods and services to the poor.

Acumen Fund has been investing in Pakistan since 2001 in companies such as:

Pakistan Fellows Program

MJSF believes that the path to a better society comes from investing in its leaders. In doing its part to contributing to a better Pakistan, JS Bank and Acumen Fund are the pioneer sponsors of this unique and innovative program. The Acumen fund Pakistan Fellows Program is designed to bring together up to 20 leaders at a one-year leadership development program for people who are leading at social change initiative from different regions, sectors and socio-economic background dedicated to addressing Pakistan’s most critical social problem. The foundation has approved a grant of $500,000 for this initiative.

Acumen Fund and MJSF Host Selection Conference for Pakistan Fellows Program

Acumen Fund, a pioneering nonprofit global venture firm addressing poverty across Africa and in South Asia, held a selection conference on 30 November 2012 in Karachi as part of the process to identify the inaugural class of Pakistan Fellows. In partnership with JS Bank, MJSF and the Edmond de Rothschild Group, Acumen is working to develop the next generation of social change leaders who are building innovative businesses and strong institutions across Pakistan.

This new program is designed to support a new generation of Pakistani leaders who see opportunities where others see only challenges. The year-long program consists of four multiday seminars and two collaborative projects – a regional trip and an innovation conference. The seminars will give Fellows access to world-class speakers, trainers, and mentors who allow Fellows to deepen their skills in leadership, social change, and innovation. The Fellows also have the opportunity to travel within Pakistan to broaden their understanding of social change models. The innovation conference is meant to be a chance for Fellows to put into practice their new skills, as well as provide a platform to showcase their projects to a larger community of leaders.

MJSF and JS Bank believe that the path to a better society comes from investing in its leaders. Keeping in view the enthusiasm shown by the number of excellent applications received, it shows the hunger and the desire among the many talented people of this nation to seek ways to improve the prevailing conditions and challenge the existing status quo. Pakistan Fellows Program will pave the road to a brighter future of this country by providing the tools and the knowledge required to develop the new generation of Pakistani leaders.

Kashf Microfinance Bank

MJSF has invested into Kashf Holdings, the parent company of Kashf Microfinance Bank with co-investors Grameen Foundation, Acumen Fund and Amar Foundation. The Foundation holds a 4.6% stake in Kashf Holdings. Kashf Microfinance Bank is an affiliate of Kashf, Pakistan’s second largest microfinance organization which has over 300,000 women as microfinance borrowers. Kashf operates throughout Punjab province.

Mahvash and Jahangir Siddiqui Art Gallery inaugurated at the Alliance Francaise Karachi

JS Group, under its charitable arm Mahvash & Jahangir Siddiqui Foundation inaugurated an Art Gallery at the Alliance Française, Karachi to promote Art and Culture within Pakistan. They expressed interest to continue supporting initiatives and the private sector contribution towards the betterment of the country through art.

Disaster relief

Mahvash & Jahangir Siddiqui Foundation has made some extensive contributions towards humanitarian relief.

Relief work expands all over Pakistan with support of Pakistan Air Force and Army

Relief goods were provided to the Pakistan Air Force for onwards distribution for the devastating earthquake of 26 October 2015. The 7.5 magnitude earthquake mostly affected the regions of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, FATA, Gilgit Baltistan, AJ&K and Punjab killing more than 250 people and injuring over 2,000. Considering the destructive consequences of the earthquake, MJSF distributed over 200 family size tents & 900 high thermal blankets to the victims. The Pakistan Army organized a relief distribution ceremony in the District Council Hall Daggar, Buner. The occasion was graced by Col. SaifUllah, Commandant Unit 3SP, Commissioner Buner and District Tehsil NazimBuner. Mr. Khawar Kayani, JS Bank Regional Head North, represented Mahvash and Jahangir Siddiqui Foundation. Considering the destructive impact of the earthquake, MJSF provided relief goods to 250 families.

IDP Campaign 2014

In 2014, MJSF joined hands with the Alumni Association of National Security Workshops (AAN) to raise funds for internally displaced persons in Pakistan due to the Zarb-e-Azb operation. At a fundraiser, held in July 2014, MJSF announced that they would donate Rs. 10 million towards IDPs.

Flood Relief Campaign 2012

Sindh province was one of the worst floods affected regions in 2012. Essentially, every year, Southern Sindh is most vulnerable to torrential rains and floods, however, this year; Northern Sindh and Balochistan were comparatively more affected. Reportedly, more than 5 million people were affected. MJSF launched its relief initiative in September 2012 mobilizing two teams of doctors, paramedics and volunteers. The initiative spanned over two provinces and five districts including Shikarpur, Jacobabad, Kashmore of Sindh and Jaffarabad, Nasirabad of Balochistan. In one month, the teams reached out to approximately 32,000, treating widespread diseases such as Malaria, Gastroenteritis, skin and eye diseases.

Flood Relief Campaign 2011

In 2011, Pakistan was hit by unprecedented monsoon rains and floods. Across the country the scope and scale of the crisis was exceptional, affecting the lives of millions of people, washing away communities and livelihoods, and forcing people to flee from their homes. The floods caused considerable damage; an estimated 5.3 million people were affected with over 1.5 million homes damaged. The consequences of the floods included starvation and disease becoming widespread with the threat of infections, including diarrhea, malaria and water borne diseases. The province of Sindh was hard hit, with 22 out of 23 districts of Sindh badly affected. More than 70% of the homes in villages and 30% in urban areas of Badin and Mirpurkhas caved in, while the district lost 70% of its crops. There was a dire need to minimize the damage caused by the lack of basic healthcare and amenities.

The primary area of focus of the MJSF was to provide food, water and medicine to all those affected. The Foundation mobilized its fleet of ambulances over a stretch of 45 days, 100 people, including general physicians, dermatologists, gastroenterologists, lady health visitors covering 94 Union Councils in 10 Districts of Sindh. The relief effort catered to the needs of 70,000 patients. The team operated from abandoned schools, sheds and in open areas at times. Besides medical facilitations, the team distributed 7-days ration bags to around 3,000 families (6 person per family), equivalent to approximately 365,000 meals.

Phase I To extend care and support to the families displaced due to the recent flood in Sindh, MJSF and JS Bank sent out its health team comprising doctors, para-medical staff, dispensers and helpers along with its fleet of ambulances and food rations for more than 3,000 families, to provide assistance to the affectees. To date, medical attention to 10,229 patients along with food rations, water and basic medical supplies were provided to an estimated 17,500 people in the affected areas which should last them for a period of 8–10 days. The areas that were covered in the initial phase from 3 September to 12 September included Badin, Mirpurkhas, Thatta, Tando Mohammed Khan, Tando Allahyar and Mithi and the next phase will cover the areas of Sanghar, Nawabshah, Dadu and Khairpur districts.

Phase II MJSF and JS Bank supported the distribution of medicines and medically treated 22,134 patients from 20 September 2011 to 3 October 2011 in districts of Badin, Sanghar, Nawabshah, Dadu and Khairpur districts as part of their Phase 2 of the flood relief campaign. The areas that were covered in phase 1 included Badin, Mirpurkhas, Thatta, Tando Muhammad Khan, Tando Allahyar and Mithi.

Phase III MJSF and JS Bank supported the distribution of medicines and medically treated 25,976 patients from 14 October 2011 to 28 October 2011 in the districts of Badin, Mirpurkhas, Thar, Tando Muhammad Khan and Tando Allahyar.

United for a Cause’ Conference – Establishment of a Corporate Secretariat United Nations (UN), Provincial Disaster Management Authority Sindh (PDMA), International Organization for Migration (IOM), JS Bank and MJSF held a joint Conference at Mohatta Palace Museum focusing on developing coordinated strategies to address humanitarian needs of flood hit communities.

Flood Relief Campaign 2010

MJSF was actively involved in providing food aid in the different areas of the country. After certifying that a displaced person is indeed from an impacted flooded area, food aid would be delivered within 24 hours. MJSF had initially set up camps in Southern Punjab (Rajanpur District) and Upper Sindh (Kashmore, Shikarpur, Khairpur districts) which provided shelter, food aid, water and healthcare to approximately 10,000 people. The Sehwan Sharif refugee camp was established on 30 September 2010. The need had risen due to the mass exodus of people from the flooded areas. They were also providing mobile medical services (doctors in a van) that go to camps in Central Sindh and had built a major mobile medical service in Thatta District and were also providing medicines to various healthcare facilities in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Sindh provinces.

2008 Swat IDP Conflict

In October 2008, following the operation by the Pakistan Army to flush out Islamic extremists from the Federally Administered Tribal Areas and Swat, large areas of dense population center of the province were evacuated.

MJSF's response was immediate. The Foundation provided large scale aid in the form of both Food Aid and Non-food Aid, transportation of IDPs out of the conflict zones, and supporting IDPs in their return to their homes. M&JS Foundation supported the following areas:

1. Logistics
2. Health
3. Food Aid
4. Rehabilitation

While the foundation disengaged from this relief effort at the end of 2008, hundreds of thousands of IDPs still live in camps run by the United Nations or with relatives as the military engagement is ongoing.

2005 earthquake

On 8 October 2005, the Himalayas were severely jolted by a massive earthquake measuring 7.6 on the Richter scale (USGS). The devastation was widespread in the mountainous area of Pakistan. Spearheading the domestic support and immediately mobilized, the Foundation was one of the organizations that provided rescue, relief and rehabilitation to the distressed by mobilizing itself within 4 days of the catastrophe.

It had a focused approach and it provided support in the following key areas:

1. Immediate relief operations
2. Rapid rebuilding of peoples livelihoods
3. Focus on most vulnerable and socially disadvantaged groups, such as children, women, disabled and the elderly
4. Encourage engagement of the private sector and civil society and fundraising for various relief organizations