Zindagi Trust

After pondering over the state of education and health in our country, I
realized that the ‘something is better than nothing’ view cannot apply to
education and health.”
(Shehzad Roy)

Zindagi Trust is a non-profit 501(c)3 philanthropic organization that aims to provide quality
education to the underprivileged children of Pakistan. It has established 29 operational
schools with over 2800 children currently being educated across Pakistan. Additionally,
Zindagi Trust is committed to promoting quality Government school reform and improving
the curriculum and textbooks of the education system of Pakistan. Zindagi Trust along with
the Book Group was successful in the remarkable transformation of Fatimah Girls
Government School in Karachi where 2500 students are enrolled. Zindagi Trust has also
founded vocational centers and health care clinics aimed at providing quality care to
disadvantaged citizens.

Vision, Mission & Value

Vision:
We would lead the way in providing opportunities and strategies to a better life through
education to the underprivileged working children of Pakistan.

Mission:
We plan to achieve our vision and purpose by committing to the following mission:

About Us

President Message

Governance & Composition

To continue to provide formal education for working children enrolled in the Trust’s program.
To create an institution, known for its commitment and excellence to the cause of education, and
providing a platform for employees and stakeholders to excel in their mission.

Values:
We strive to uphold the following values in fulfilling our vision and mission:
Compassion:
The organization, its employees and other stakeholders believe in concern and sympathy
for the derprivileged— especially working children.
Loyalty:
As a Trust, we especially hold dear those who show devotion, faithfulness and allegiance to
the organization and the country.
Ethics:
The organization aspires to ethical practices (honesty, integrity) in its relationship with all
its stakeholders.
Quality:
As an organization we highly value quality and excellence both in terms of our programs
and processes.
Character Building:
We consider character building to be an integral aspect of our programs, as learning
without personal integrity will be of little value to the individual and the society.
President Message

“The test of the morality of a society is

what it does for its children.” About Us
(Dietrich Bonhoeffer)

Zindagi Trust was established in 2002 with the vision Vision Mission, & Values
of providing quality education to the underprivileged-
working children of Pakistan. In Pakistan more than Governance & Composition
50% of the population is illiterate and numerous
factors have led to the vicious cycle of child labor.
According to The News International, “More than 10.5
million children under the age of 15 in Pakistan are
currently employed in factories, cottage industries, on
the streets as vendors, and helping their parents in
menial jobs in order to support their families.”
Education is the inspiration that can give these
children a better future.

Zindagi (life) is an inspiration! That inspiration comes from the unique experiences and
challenges of our life’s journey. Sometimes inspiration stems from the most negative
realities that launch the most positive endeavors— as the story of Zindagi Trust. In our
darkest hour, we find trusting hands that help and guide. Only then do we realize how many
more helping hands are needed to support that inspiration.

As an itinerant musician, I get to travel to many weird and wonderful places. One of the
most unforgettable was the Thar dessert in Sind where I went in 2004 to shoot a video.
Entitled La Ilaha Illallah, it was a tribute to the poetry of Iqbal that communicates the
sovereignty of Almighty Allah. It was heart-rending to observe the pitiable socio-economic
condition of the people of Thar. The most painful realization was the vulnerability of the
children to poverty, malnutrition and poor health. I saw things I could not imagine, during
that trip. An inconceivable image— of innocent children drinking contaminated water from a
well where the carrion of birds and animals could be seen floating below—stamped on my
mind. I have been unable to take that image out of my mind.
 As soon as I came back to Karachi, I called upon a few close friends and expressed the
urgent need to help children. Their willingness and the support of people like you helped me
gradually establish Zindagi Trust. The guidance of our nation’s most benevolent
philanthropist, Abdul Sattar Edhi, was invaluable. I was honored by his appearance in my
video “YARAB” and his support to my cause.

Now with over 35 I-am-paid-schools across Pakistan, over 5500 students, successful
Government school reforms, Health Care Centers, a ‘Be my Buddy’ student sponsorship
program, Zindagi Trust’s achievements are a result of the support and contribution from
people like you. Your helping hands of inspiration continue to make a difference in the
future of thousands of children and we look with hope towards the horizon of education in
Pakistan.

Shehzad Roy
President
Zindagi Trust

Governance
Zindagi Trust operates under the auspices of a Pakistan-based Board of Trustees. Zindagi
Trust was registered in July 2002 in Pakistan under the Societies Registration Act 1860 and
donations received in Pakistan are tax-exempt. All members of the Board of Trustees are
volunteers and serve without compensation.

Board of Trustees, Pakistan:

The Board of Trustees develops strategic goals and program initiatives; reviews and
approves annual plans and budgets; assists in expanding outreach, visibility and donor
support; and monitors the progress of the organization.

Patron and Chairman:

Lt Gen Munir Hafiez (Retd)

Members:

Mr Shehzad Roy
Mr Razzak Dawood
Brig Ikram ul Hasan (Retd)
Mr Noman Ahmed Nabi
Mr Bashir A. Memon

Board of Trustees USA:

Mr Mumtaz Mir
Mr Ramzan Dhanji
Dr Amanullah
Board of Trustees UK:

Mr Tahir Nawaz
Mr Jeremy Carwar
Mr Malik Asim Saeed
Mr Shehzad Roy
Lt Gen Munir Hafiez (Retd)

Board of Trustees Canada:

Dr Abida Usman
Mr Khalid Usman

Leading Volunteers:

Mr Tauheed Ashraf, USA

Ms Sadia Ashraf, USA
Ms Misbah Momin, Lahore
Ms Hameedah Sayani, Karachi
Ms Rafia, Karachi

Education Consultant:

Mr Sami Mustafa

Auditors:

A. F. Fergusons & Co.

Chartered Accountants

Management Team:

The management team assists the Board of Trustees in decision-making on all policy
matters; oversees program and office operations in Pakistan; approves the selection of
partner organizations; and evaluates all Zindagi Trust’s budgets and project contracts

Brig Abdul Haque (Retd)

Chief Executive Officer (CEO)

Mr Azam Ali Haroon

Head, Support Services

Mr Mohammad Asif
Senior Manager, Accounts

Ms Jahanara Shiraz
Asst. Manager, Academics
Mr Salman Javed Shahwali
Asst. Manager, Operations

Mr Syed Ghazanfar Ali Rizvi

Asst. Manager, HR & Admin

Regional Coordinators:

Ms Quratullain Nauman,
South Region

Ms Amina Qadeem Khan

North Region

Mr Azam Zai
Central Region

I am paid to learn

“Quality education is every citizen’s right.”

(Shehzad Roy)

Zindagi Trust (ZT) aims at reaching out to the working

children of the nation and provides them basic functional
literacy at the doorstep of their work place and residences
and supplements their earnings by providing them a daily
stipend. Pre Opening Strategies

It endeavours to achieve the above through

Operating Criteria
implementation of a unique concept called “I am Paid to
Learn”, wherein a group of about fifty to sixty children
working in a certain neighbourhood are brought to a Documentaries
Government or a private school rented in the afternoon
and literacy is provided to these working children for five
days a week and four hours per day.

At the end of the week they are paid a stipend of Rs.50/- per week for the time sacrificed
out of their work routines and coming to ZT school to acquire some basic education, life
skills and ethics which are generally lacking in their family lives. This also provides them a
motivation to continue their formal education once some literacy has been imparted upon
them by the ZT Schools. Presently, ZT supports over 2800 students studying in schools
operating in Karachi, Lahore and Rawalpindi.

Students are provided education in a three year span commencing from kindergarten (KG)
level and finishing at class five levels. They are provided education of English, Urdu, Social
Studies, Islamiat, Mathematics, Science and Computers. Teachers are trained every year on
current methodology of teaching/learning, whereby they are motivated to move away from
typical rote memorization and encourage children to learn through conduct of interactive
sessions. Students are appraised on a regular basis and minimal dependency is kept on the
end of term examination with a view to ultimately do away with the end of term
examination.

I am Paid to Learn Campaign

In a country like Pakistan education is a privilege, not a basic right. Help the underprivileged
children of Zindagi Trust by supporting the campaigns below:

One month of basic education for one

US$ 30
child:
One year of basic education for one child: US$ 360
Make one child literate (3 years of
US$ 1080
education):
Sponsor an entire school for one month: US$ 1,667
Sponsor an entire school for one year: US$ 20,000
Pre opening Strategies

“If we want our future generations to ask the right

questions then a culture of discussion, interaction,
proactive thinking and asking questions needs to be encouraged.”
(Shehzad Roy)

In order to ensure the highest quality of education is imparted to these children, Zindagi
Trust’s professional system of operation is comprehensive and community-oriented. We
uphold the highest standards of administration by continually monitoring our programs to
ensure that your donations are used to maximum effectiveness. Here is a step-by-step
break-down of this system:
Operating Criteria
PRINCIPAL MANAGEMENT:

. Identification of area for the project.

I am Paid To Learn
. Selection of the students from the area
Pre Opening Strategies
. Selection of school building
Documentaries
. Selection of teachers for the project

. General administration of the school

. Monitoring performance of the school

PROJECT MONITORING:

Each school progress is monitored in the following manner:

. The assigned field officers visit the schools at least twice a week, where they record their
observations.

. The Field Officer checks the daily attendance register of the students, the daily catalogues
maintained by the teachers as well as the monthly assessment and progress reports of the
students.

. Zindagi Trust founder, Mr. Shehzad Roy, also regularly visits different schools and checks
progress reports to continually improve the standards.

RULES OF THE SCHOOL:

The following rules apply to the students:

. Teachers maintain a daily attendance record for each student

. Late arrival is permitted up to 15 minutes after which it is treated as absence.

. Absence without prior intimation for four consecutive days will result in expulsion from the
school

. The stipend of Rs.10 is paid only for the days a student attends his/her class.

Accounting System:
. Accounting records for the Schools are maintained by the Accounts Department

. Students are paid every Friday for the week ending previous Thursday.

Government school reforms

Overview
SMB Fatima Jinnah Government School
SMB Before and After
Background & Rationale: Photo Gallery
There are 41,713 primary schools, 2,600 middle schools
and 1,747 secondary schools in Sindh. 5 million school-
age children are out of school. They are out of school SMB Before and After
because the education they get at government schools Details
does not help them get jobs nor promises a better future.
Without reforming government schools, the vast majority
Documentary
of poor children will remain out of school. The answer to
providing good quality education for poor children is to
reform the government schools.
Our Approach

As a first step, we need to establish a prototype of a good Government school by

bringing a paradigm shift in its physical infrastructure, administration and, most
important of all, the quality of education
Document these changes and influence the Sindh Education Department to replicate
this model on a larger scale
Use this Government school for bringing administrative changes in, and training of
teachers for other Government schools

The Government School

Through a Government notification (Government of Sindh), Zindagi Trust has been

given full management of the SMB Fatima Jinnah Government Girls School, Nishtar
Road, Karachi
Number of students: 2,600; Number of Teachers: 150
Spread over 5 acres, the campus has 7 schools each headed by a separate
Headmistress
Zindagi Trust is working closely with Bookgroup, a non-profit, Educational Research
Organization.

Development in SMB

Administrative

All the 7 schools have been merged into 3 sections

o Kindergarten (Class KG – II)
o Junior (Class III – VI)
o Senior (Class VII - X)
The school timings have been changed (previous: 7.45 am – 12 noon) to 8.00 am to
1.30 pm
A Principal appointed to head all the 3 sections
Morning and afternoon shifts have been collapsed into single shift
Teachers work for 5 days, Monday-Friday
Health-room and Daycare Centre were established and are functioning.
Modern offices and secretarial support are operational in the school.
Academic Intervention and teachers training programme

Government prescribed textbooks has been replaced with better quality modern
textbooks.

o Phonics Programme - a child-friendly way of teaching English is being done in

grades KG to 6.
o New Heinemann Maths is being taught from grades 1-6
o Countdown Maths is being taught in grades 7 & 8
o Bookgroup’s Urdu books are being taught from grades 1 to 8.
o These books are being provided to students free of cost.
Art is being taught with a new approach. Four new art teachers have been hired. Art
material is being supplied to all students free of cost.
Sport is taught to all students of grades KG to 10. Five sports teachers have been
hired so that all students can take sports as part of the timetable.
Computer is being taught from grades 6 onwards.
In-house teachers training programme for government teachers has been introduced
to change the teaching method and improve the culture of learning.
A 18-membered Students Council was elected. Our students Council has been very
active and assists us in the management of the school administration.
A six-monthly school Newsletter, Jalebian, is being published containing students
work. A 10-membered Editorial Board comprising of students of grades 9 and 10 was
constituted. The Board is responsible for publishing the school Newsletter.
Learning Modules
Leaning modules have been introduced as part of the programme of studies to all students.
We hope to introduce more learning modules in the coming months.

Pottery Grade 3 219 students

Roller Blading Grades 4 & 5 432 students
Taekwondo Grade 6 197 students
Photography Grades 7 & 8 34 students
Rowing Grades 8 & 9 26 students
Book development Grade 8 35 students

Facilities for students and teachers

A 40-stationed, air-conditioned computer lab with latest and computers and flat
screen monitors.
A well-equipped, air-conditioned lending library with full-time trained librarians.
A health-room with a qualified doctor and an experienced nurse.
A well-equipped science lab.
A large and well-maintained football ground which is being used for various sport
activities.
A day-care centre where teachers can keep their infants or young children while they
are in school.
A modern conference room and a faculty study for teachers and students.
A custom made parking lot with proper security guards.
A 70-KVA stand-by generator has been installed to ensure uninterrupted teaching
during power failures.
A School Traffic Programme has been introduced to train students and parents on
 road safety to maintain traffic discipline in the school.
A school Welfare Fund has been created to provide financial assistance/
uniforms/shoes/medicines, etc for the needy children.
Eye screening has been introduced to all students of grades KG to 10. Students
having severe eye related diseases are being referred to an eye surgeon for proper
treatment and follow-up.

Future Plans:

Document these changes and influence the Sindh Education Department to replicate
this model on a larger scale
Use this government school for bringing administrative changes in, and training of
teachers for other government schools.
Action

Donate
Zindagi Trust relies on the generosity and encouragement of its donors and supporters to
not only continue maintaining the already established schools but to also expand Zindagi
Trust’s work so that many more children can benefit from the gift of education.There are
countless ways in which you can get involved with Zindagi Trust and play an important role
in the life of an underprivileged child in Pakistan. All you need is the desire to make this
commitment.

How to make a Donation:

Individuals:

Make a donation, support a campaign or volunteer at Zindagi Trust fundraisers

Businesses and Organizations:

Make a donation, be a corporate sponsor at a Zindagi Trust event, or support a campaign

 Method of Payments
Zindagi Trust a Tax Approved Charity
Donations to Zindagi Trust are approved for tax
exemptions. Tax Exemption # CIT/COS.V/2007/499

Be my Buddy sponsors who pay by cheque/Bank draft

(payable to `Zindagi Trust'), please send your contact
information, write the name of sponsored student on the
envelope and mail to:

Online Donation

Donate in Pak Rs. Donate in US $.

Methods of payment

CHEQUES & BANK DRAFTS in the name of “Zindagi Trust” (ZINDAGI RELIEF FUND INC. in
Canada.).
Our Addresses are:

Pakistan: House No. 94-C, Haji Abdul Razzak Jano Street, Faran Housing Society, Karachi,
Pakistan
T: 92-21- 4125614 - 6 / 111-111-439
F: 92-21- 4125617
E: info@zindagitrust.org

USA: 9406, Wickham Way, Orlando, Florida, 32836, USA

T: 1-407-353-3163
F: 1-407-8769273
E: usa@zindagitrust.org

Canada: 2750, 14th Avenue, Suite # 207, Markham, Ont L3-R OB6, Ontario, Canada
T: 1-905-470-8111
F: 1-416-470-8121
E: canada@zindagitrust.org

UK: No. 5-6, Portman Mews South, London W1H 6HU, United Kingdom
T: 44-02074910002
E: uk@zindagitrust.org

DEPOSITS OR DIRECT BANK TRANSFERS in any of the following accounts. Kindly send
 us a letter communicating your donation and contact details to the respective address.

Pak Rs.

Title of Account: Zindagi Trust

Bank: Bank Al Habib Limited

City Tower Branch, P.E.CH.C, Karachi, Pakistan

Account Nr: 1088-0081-001019-01-6

SWIFT Code: BAHLPKKXXX

Plot Nr 33-A, Citi Towers Block-6, P.E.CH.S

Bank Address:
Main Shahrah-e-Faisal, Karachi

(92-021) 4373150-53

(92-021) 4373154

US Dollar

Title of Account: Zindagi Trust

Bank: Citibank N. A., Shahrah-e-Faisal Branch

Account # (US$) 9012523669

Route #: 10991207

SWIFT Code: CITIPKKX

Pound Sterling

Title of Account: Zindagi Trust

Bank: Citibank N. A., Shahrah-e-Faisal Branch

Account # (UK£) 9022523675

Route #: 600199

SWIFT Code: CITIPKKX

Zindagi Trust a Tax Approved Charity

Pakistan: Donations to Zindagi Trust are approved for tax exemtion. Tax Exemption #
CIT/COS.V/2007/499

USA: “Zindagi Inc.” is a 501 (c) tax-exempt organization (No. 20-1287010), which grants
funds that benefit Zindagi Trust, its schools and other charitable educational projects. In
compliance with the IRS regulations, the Board of Trustees of Zindagi Inc. maintain
complete discretion over allocation of gifts/funds to Zindagi Trust.

UK: Zindagi Trust is registered with the Charities Commission of England & Wales (No. 1101
700).

Canada: Tax Creditable receipts will be issued to the donors through our partner, IDRF, a
registered Charitable Organization under the Canadian Tax Laws.

NOTE: If you sponsor a child through posting a cheque and in the mean time if someone
else sponsors that child through credit card before we receive your cheque, Zindagi Trust
holds the right to direct your generosity to a child very similar to the one you chose.

For any further queries, please email: bmb@zindagitrust.org

Media

Press Kit

Shehzad Roy's Profile:

Roy was born on February 16, 1977 in Lahore His father Kabir Roy is a successful
businessman and his mother Nazli Qamar is a PhD holder and a domestic engineer. His
older sibling is married and resides in the USA. When in 5th grade, Roy moved with his
family to the USA and lived there for several years. Even at that tender age, he was struck
by the discrepancy between quality public schools in America and Pakistan. He yearned to
make a difference in his native country. Roy came back and settled in Karachi, where after
finishing his Bachelors his passion for music launched his successful career and he became a
performer and musician.
 Zindagi in News

Shehzad Roy Blog

In 2002 he established a charitable foundation-Zindagi Trust- to alleviate the condition of

working children that strayed on the streets of urban Pakistan. In 2006 he was fortunate
enough to pay homage to his faith, by performing Umrah with his manager Arif Roy and
guitarist Imran Akhoond. Roy spends his time recording music and fundraising for his Trust.
He uses the proceeds from his concerts to support Zindagi Trust.

www.shehzadroy.com

About Zindagi Trust:

After pondering over the state of education and health in our country, I realized that the
‘something is better than nothing’ view cannot apply to education and health.” (Shehzad
Roy)

Zindagi Trust is a non-profit 501(c)3 philanthropic organization that aims to provide quality
education to the underprivileged children of Pakistan. It has established 29 operational
schools with over 2800 children currently being educated across Pakistan. Additionally,
Zindagi Trust is committed to promoting quality Government school reform and improving
the curriculum and textbooks of the education system of Pakistan. Zindagi Trust along with
the Book Group was successful in the remarkable transformation of Fatimah Girls
Government School in Karachi where 2500 students are enrolled. Zindagi Trust has also
founded vocational centers and health care clinics aimed at providing quality care to
disadvantaged citizens.