Support and Collaboration
We actively support and collaborate with other organizations with similar purpose as ours. List of projects that The Knowledge Foundation supports in partnership with others include the following:
Alkhadijah Foundation Science Academy
The Knowledge Foundation has developed a partnership with Alkhadijah Foundation at Jaffaria colony Lahore for running a coaching center to provide tuition to school going children of the locality especially from under privileged families who otherwise would spend their time on menial jobs or would simply be loitering around. The pupil intake is from class 1 to secondary school level. The student body currently includes 86 students. The Knowledge Foundation provides full or partial scholarships to the students to cover their fee expenses.
Collaboration with Door of Awareness
Another active organization with similar purposes as The Knowledge Foundation is the Door of Awareness. This organization aims at creating opportunities for the underprivileged students of rural and urban areas of Pakistan, for this purpose they are operating number of schools in slum areas of Lahore where free primary education is provided. The Knowledge Foundation is collaborating in two such ventures with Door of Awareness by funding schools in Johar Town Lahore and Charrar Pind Lahore.
Collaboration with Pak Polytechnic Institute - Faisalabad Road, Chiniot
This institute provides industrial technical trainings in multiple disciplines needed in the industry. The institute prepares for diploma of Associate Engineer exams and provides vocational training courses based on curriculum specified by Punjab Board of Technical Education. The Knowledge Foundation has been providing assistance in terms of lab equipment and financial assistance to needy students since 2013.
Our Projects
In addition to support and collaboration of other organizations, the Knowledge Foundation is involved in running our own projects described below
Capacity Building of Al Murtaza Public School Hussain Abad Multan
Al Murtaza Public school was established some 15 years ago dedicated to the deprived children of Sutriwat area of Multan. The school was supported by original founders for a few years after which resource constraints triggered a high rate of attrition of staff and consequent reduction in student enrollment. It was in these circumstances that The Knowledge Foundation decided to look after the affairs of the school in 2011. The contribution of the foundation has not only been in injection of funds but also in infrastructure improvement, teacher training and improving quality of education. The School starts from Play Group and operates classes up to Grade 8 for female students. The total number of students being served is more than 200, while 16 teachers are employed to serve these students. The Knowledge Foundation has provided assistance to enhance infrastructure and conduct periodic teachers training, in addition to taking responsibility of financial sustenance.
Interest Free Loan for University Education
The Knowledge Foundation recognizes that large number of talented students who manage to get admissions in higher education institutions on merit do not possess means to finance their tuition fee and living expenses during their course of study. Consequently, they are liable to either drop out or do odd jobs to support themselves which affects their grades and thus future job prospects. In order to facilitate such students the foundation has embarked upon a program to give interest free loans (qarz e hasna) with the agreement from the students to return the loan in installments once they complete their education and find a job or source of income. The funds returned are then recycled to grant new loans.
Career Counseling
The education cycle starts from primary education and ends up at the university level. During these various stages, students do feel the need for guidance to choose from among the various academic paths available to them. The Knowledge Foundation has started an initiative to provide such guidance online to reach students throughout Pakistan. The online academic guidance system through a questionnaire assesses the academic achievements, intellectual potential, need, and environment of the student. Mentors are appointed to counsel each student. Direct communication and interaction takes place between the students and the mentor. After appraisal, assessment and findings of the mentor, students given online advice on the selection of educational path best suited to their inherent talents.
School Education Financial Support Project
The goal of this project is to provide financial assistance to enable children to attend school. The project covers school fees and educational expenses of children who are either not currently enrolled in schools or are already enrolled but their parents are finding it difficult to meet their educational expenses. The project is intended for children from kindergarten to high school. The project has made a significant difference to the supported families and ensured the continued enrollment of the supported children. There is clearly a need to extend such support to a much larger number of children.
PACE Center Charar Pind Lahore
Established in May 2016 under the aegis of The Knowledge Foundation, Pace Center, Charrar Pind, Lahore has made significant progress in meeting the educational needs of some of the underprivileged children of this poverty-ridden area. Pace Center aims to equip its students with the tools necessary to lead a happy and successful life by teaching key academic concepts and encouraging personal development. This helps to shape them into productive citizens who can contribute to society. In terms of academics, Pace Center provides its students with an understanding of basic Maths concepts, in addition to literacy in Urdu and English. Personal development is promoted through daily discussions on values critical to shaping well rounded individuals, ranging from honesty and hard work to cleanliness and responsibility.
AIMS Public School Tehsil Kabirwala District Khanewal
This school is situated in a rural area vulnerable to seasonal floods where no other school is available within 5 km radius. As a normal practice children are sent to do menial labor or to engage in small cart selling businesses at an early age. The Knowledge Foundation supported the building of this school. The Foundation’s support in developing the infrastructure helped in the selection of this school by Punjab Education Foundation – Foundation Assisted Program (PEF- FAS) for public-private partnership. The school was awarded 2nd position in district NTS Quality assurance test.