Poverty Alleviation Scholarships Foundation
Our scholarships transform the lives of Pakistan’s most disadvantaged people, including orphans, widows and religious minorities.
We help them to escape a vicious cycle of poverty and lack of opportunity by giving access to free vocational training courses. As well as enabling our students to gain nationally and internationally recognised qualifications, we support them to find a job or set up a business.
PAS empowers people to learn the skills they need to earn a living, instead of relying on gifts and donations to survive. And because we encourage self-reliance and independence, we also help to build sustainable and resilient communities.
Population of Pakistan 210m (5th largest in the world)
6 out 10 live under the age of 30 (average age only 23)
4 out of 10 of Pakistan’s people are classed as poor
Success Stories
Abbas Khan
Abbas Khan, an orphan who was struggling after his father’s death to manage his finances and support his living along with his studies. Therefore, he started working at a mechanic workshop in the neighborhood to support his expenses. He wanted to polish his skills in the same field to be able to earn a better… read more “Abbas Khan”
Sajan Kumar
Sajan’s dreams of going to university came crashing down in 2011 when heavy monsoon rains affected 5 million people. His father lost his job, the family’s possessions were ruined and they were plunged into poverty.
Atiya Mubashir
When Atiya’s husband was killed while rescuing survivors from a bomb blast, she was left alone to care for her two children. As a recent widow, she was desperate to find a way of supporting her family.
Rahmeen Fiza
When Rahmeen first came to the Hunar Foundation, she was so shy that she could not speak among her peers. Yet just two years later she took to the stage to inspire other female students to follow in her footsteps.
People we've helped
Previous Initiatives
AS is the latest of many QED Foundation initiatives to strengthen links between the UK and Pakistan and improve the quality of life of disadvantaged communities.
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Education and Training
QED Foundation has many years’ experience of developing and delivering training programmes to help women who have recently arrived from overseas to find jobs and settle in quickly to life in the UK.
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Health
Our pre-departure support for women preparing to leave Pakistan to join British national husbands in the UK has included seven health training programmes.
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International Links
Our chief executive organised an international event in Islamabad, which called upon the government to support expatriates living in the UK.
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Economy
We helped to produce the Opportunity Pakistan report, which investigated the potential for social entrepreneurship to contribute to the country’s economy.
Our Partners
PAS is an independent charity that is supported by QED Foundation, which has been a key player in the fight against poverty and inequality since 1990.
Its senior management team of Dr Mohammed Ali OBE and Adeeba Malik CBE has many years’ experience of working with some of Pakistan’s most disadvantaged groups, delivering projects to support local people in Azad Kashmir, Gujar Khan and Attock.
Akhuwat
Hunar Foundation is Pakistan’s only nationwide private-sector vocational training organisation. It pioneered the introduction of UK City and Guilds courses and nearly 4,000 young adults have graduated from its technical institutes.
Hunar Foundation students work towards internationally recognised qualifications, leading to economic freedom and empowerment through employment or small business creation. Opportunities are offered to underprivileged and marginalised young people and it has a special focus on supporting women and providing training in trades that can easily be run as businesses from home.
Hunar Foundation
Hunar Foundation is Pakistan’s only nationwide private-sector vocational training organisation. It pioneered the introduction of UK City and Guilds courses and nearly 4,000 young adults have graduated from its technical institutes.
Hunar Foundation students work towards internationally recognised qualifications, leading to economic freedom and empowerment through employment or small business creation. Opportunities are offered to underprivileged and marginalised young people and it has a special focus on supporting women and providing training in trades that can easily be run as businesses from home.
AGT Institute of Technical and Professional Education
Hunar Foundation is Pakistan’s only nationwide private-sector vocational training organisation. It pioneered the introduction of UK City and Guilds courses and nearly 4,000 young adults have graduated from its technical institutes.
Hunar Foundation students work towards internationally recognised qualifications, leading to economic freedom and empowerment through employment or small business creation. Opportunities are offered to underprivileged and marginalised young people and it has a special focus on supporting women and providing training in trades that can easily be run as businesses from home.
