Provide education and livelihood opportunities to marginalized, street children in Pakistan, especially girls, from the poorest, unserved informal squatter settlements, to become productive members of society.
Access to quality education for every child in Pakistan.
Pehli Kiran Schools is a project of the Jamshed Akhtar Qureshi Education Trust, which is registered under the Trust Act (II of 1882) of Pakistan. The Trust is governed by a seven-member Board of Trustees, comprising a diverse group of Pakistani professionals, many of whom have vast international development experience. The Board is responsible for setting the Trust’s mission and vision, developing strategies and policies, mobilizing resources, selecting auditors, setting annual program targets and approving annual budgets. It also monitors and approves the Annual Progress and Financial Reports.
Founder and Managing Trustee
Sabira Qureshi is an international development professional with more than four decades of experience on issues of poverty, gender equality, human and social development. Her work also includes significant volunteer activities – from activism for human rights to serving on nonprofit boards. She is a passionate believer in taking 'action for change', an impulse that triggered the PKS journey.
Founder and Chairperson
Navaid Qureshi is a development professional - an engineer with over 30 years of international development experience spanning more than 50 countries around the globe. He is currently Chief Industry Specialist for Transport in the Global Infrastructure Department at IFC. Navaid has a deep interest in community development initiatives that expand opportunities and contribute to improved social mobility for underprivileged groups.
Executive Trustee
Over the past 20 years, Mansoor Khan has pioneered Pakistan’s offshore software development initiatives. He is currently Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Makabu (Pvt.) Ltd. He has been previously associated with various Trusts, namely LRBT, SKMT and Kaghan Memorial Trust. He also guides ground operations for PKS with a focus on strengthening the overall school system.
Founder Trustee
Qazi Azmat Isaa has over 30 years of vast experience in the development sector. He is currently working as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Pakistan Poverty Alleviation Fund. He spent 12 years at the World Bank, working in the rural and social sectors. He is currently serving on the Boards of numerous for-profit and nonprofit entities.
Trustee
A human rights activist, Khalida helped pioneer the Anti-Torture Movement in Pakistan and was awarded the distinguished “Order of the British Empire" (OBE) for her work on women’s and children’s rights. Khalida also received the Presidential Award as Human Rights defender in 2011. She is the Founder and Executive Director of SACH (Struggle for Change). She has been instrumental in establishing the Crisis Centre for Women in Distress for the Ministry of Women’s Development and setting up a shelter for working children.
Trustee
Mohsin is a skilled business manager and entrepreneur with over 20 years of experience in private sector governance. He is currently Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Comcept (Pvt.) Ltd. Mohsin has also worked with Pakistan’s Ministry of Finance and the Asian Development Bank (ADB). Mohsin has contributed to the development of the ICT sector in different roles, including serving on the executive committees of various industry bodies.
Pehli Kiran Schools is registered in the USA as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, with IRS tax exemption. It is governed by a three-member Board of Directors, with experience in education and international development. The Board provides strategic guidance, supports fundraising and resource mobilization, and provides guidance for the organization’s functioning and operations in the US. It also monitors and approves the PKS Annual Progress and Financial Reports.
Founder and President
Sabira Qureshi is an international development professional with more than four decades of experience on issues of poverty, gender equality, human and social development. Her work also includes significant volunteer activities – from activism for human rights to serving on nonprofit boards. She is a passionate believer in taking 'action for change', an impulse that triggered the PKS journey.
Director and Treasurer
John Wall joined the Peace Corps in the early 1960s and was assigned to India where he worked in Rajasthan’s Community Development Program. After earning his Ph.D. from Duke University he joined the World Bank and spent his professional career on various assignments for 33 years, mainly on Pakistan, India, and Egypt, working on macroeconomics and development economics. His working career has convinced him that the key long-run driver of economic development is the provision of basic needs (income generation, education, health, housing, and transport) for all—men, women and children.
Director and Secretary
Farooq Cheema is a seasoned and accomplished business executive. A serial entrepreneur, who runs multiple businesses focusing in the area of tutoring and corporate talent management. Through his regional tutoring company, thousands of students have successfully seen their GPAs increase by an average of two letter grades. Additionally, he has strategic investments in several education and health care companies. He is an executive member of the Organization of Pakistani Entrepreneurs of North America (OPEN) and has served as President of the DC chapter.
Pehli Kiran Schools (PKS) are managed and operated by an individual dedicated team under the supervision of the Managing Trustee. Each school has its own Principal, Vice-Principal, and Teachers who work on both morning and afternoon shifts for the under-qualified and needful children.
PKS offers its staff numerous benefits, including transport and communication allowances, support for continuing education as well as opportunities for professional development and career growth through ongoing teacher-training and capacity building.
General Manager
Community Engagement Manager
Admin Manager
Accounts Manager
Program Manager - Academics
Program Manager - PKL
Academic Coordinator
Academic Mentor
Academic Mentor
Advocacy & Resource Mobilization Officer
Scholarship Coordinator
Coordinator - PKL
IT Lead
Counselor
Assistant Counselor
Community Mobilizer
Community Mobilizer
Admin Officer
Admin Assistant
Accounts Assistant
Principal: Shazia Naseem
Principal: Farzana Andlib
Principal: Jannat Gul
Principal: Ume-e-Rubab
Principal: Noor Zahid
Principal: Sakina Jamshed
Principal: Ansa Bibi
Principal: Shahdan Afzal
Principal: Riffat Jabeen
Principal: Haseena Gul
Vice Principal: Neelum Shehzadi
Vice Principal: Zubair Sultan
Vice Principal: Maria Fareed
Vice Principal: Robia Bibi
Vice Principal: Sidra Bibi
Vice Principal: Shazia Basheer
Vice Principal: Khadija Bibi
Vice Principal: Syeda Kinza Awais
Vice Principal: Nabeel Mehmood
Vice Principal: Maria Bibi
Syed Bilawal Shah Project Lead
Shahid Ahmad Back end Developer
Farrukh Waseem Akram Front End Developer
Qirsa Rasheed Q/A Engineer
Rabia Kabir Scrum Master