A University of Sunderland graduate is helping to transform the lives of orphaned and abandoned street children in Pakistan. Naushad Kazi, who graduated in 2011 with a Master’s Degree in International Management, is CEO and Founder of Orphan Support Foundation (OSF) in Pakistan.
Founded in 2015, OSF aims to serve the best interest of children without parental care to provide them standard education and technical skills to live a better life.
Naushad, from Pakistan, explained: “The children who are deprived of the guidance and protection of their primary caregivers are more vulnerable to health risks, violence, exploitation and discrimination and they are often deprived of education.
“The OSF’s prime objective is to strive to guard the fundamental needs of this disadvantaged population by engaging them in advocacy, education, and technical skills development program and problem analysis.”
Naushad, who founded the non-for-profit organisation following his dream of leading change, is no stranger to helping those in need of help. In 2013 he helped turn around the lives of 520 desperate victims in Pakistan who had been affected by the Badin floods of 2011 by assisting to build shelters and homes to keep people off the streets after the natural disaster.
Naushad’s childhood wasn’t easy after he lost his dad at the age of two. “I chose to help the orphaned and street children because when my father died I was just two years old, being the elder son in my family I struggled more than others not only to complete my studies but also to support my younger brother to accomplish his education,” he explained. “So I know the feelings to survive without caring and loving father.”
Before studying at the University, the 39-year-old had worked at the SME Bank in his native country for 11 years. After completing his Master’s degree from Sunderland he moved to London to work as a marketing advisor at Infast Consultancy before returning to Pakistan in 2012 to work for the NGO SAFWCO.
Naushad said: “I really had wonderful time while studying at the University of Sunderland, undoubtedly it has played a vital role to motivate me to do something valuable to serve the people who really need it.”
Asked about his future plans for Orphan Support Foundation, Naushad commented: “We intend to initiate our vocational training program to support the older orphaned and abandoned street teenagers, aged 15 to 18 years old, in Hyderabad.
“We also intend to sign agreements with the micro-finance banks so when the 18 year old orphans complete their vocational programme, they can be referred to the banks to ask for financial assistance to establish their own business.”
Naushad added: “Our program aims to support the available orphanages in terms of enhancing the capacity and resources instead of establishing more orphanages.
“In these orphanages the children would be provided with all basic needs including education, accommodation, food and capacity building program (technical skills and personality development) under one roof without any discrimination.”