TCF Vancouver raises $40,000 for education in Pakistan

Education is a human right. And, like other human rights, it cannot be taken for granted. Yet, in Pakistan, the literacy rate 65% which greatly hampers nation’s growth. 22 years ago, a group of citizens recognized the importance of education in bringing social change and started nonprofit organization, The Citizens Foundation. Today, it has 1,441 operational school units in Pakistan which are currently providing quality education to more than 204,000 students nationwide. TCF-Canada, one of its international chapters, helps primarily by collecting donations from expatriates and various other organizations. It is registered with Canada Revenue Agency and audited by KPMG. On September 8, the Vancouver chapter of TCF held its fourth annual fundraiser at Taj Convention Centre in Surrey. The keynote speaker was Iqra Khalid, the honorable member of Parliament who presented the private member’s motion condemning Islamophobia. The mission of this sub-chapter is to raise awareness and promote the TCF brand and organize annual fundraisers targeting the Greater Vancouver audience. All donations raised from the fundraiser goes to support the annual operating cost of an existing TCF school in Pakistan. Amna Hyder and Nabil Khaja were the hosts for the event. The event began with the recitation of the holy Quran by young Farwah Arslan followed brief update on TCF Vancouver by Mr. Usman Nadeem, Vancouver Chapter Lead. Mr. Waseem Javed then presented a report on TCF’s progress and accomplishment. President TCF-Canada, Mr. Sajid Salman also attended the event as well as the honourable Consul General of Pakistan, Mr Mohammad Tariq. Mr. Tariq commended the efforts of TCF and also expressed his personal gratitude for the Farooq family for their support for education in Pakistan. Longtime supporters of TCF, Mr. Alibhoy and Mrs. Janet Farooq spoke at the event about the how their families became involved and the importance of supporting this cause. Hon. Iqra Khalid then took the stage and shared the heart touching story of her father’s journey from a small town in Pakistan to Europe and eventually settling Canada with the single goal of achieving education for himself and his kids. She encouraged everyone to donate generously to TCF. She also took the opportunity to speak about the violence in Myanmar and her role on the Parliamentary Committee on Human Rights Situation of the Rohingya in Myanmar. She asked people to actively voice their opinion.Mr. Mohammad Yasin then led the fundraising part of the event. The Rotary Club of Burnaby provided a generous cheque of $7,744 for TCF and the chapter was able to raise close to $40,000. Awards were then given to the organizers and the guests of honor received honorary plaques. The event was supported by many generous sponsors and was beautifully put together by a dedicated team of TCF members and volunteers.After dinner Jamal Raja, a talented musician from Calgary set the stage for the evening’s entertainment.