Story

My name is Enaya Khurram, I’m 17 years old, currently studying for my A Levels at Al Salam Community School, and this summer I’m proud to be part of the TCF Ambassadors of Change Programme, a two-month initiative that brings together young people who want to help build a better future through education.

Before this, I understood education was important. But through this campaign, I’ve come to realize just how powerful and how unfairly inaccessible it is for millions of children in Pakistan. Right now, 26.2 million children are out of school. More than half of them are girls. That’s not just a number, that’s an entire generation at risk of being forgotten.

The Citizens Foundation (TCF) is changing that. They’re a professionally run non-profit that builds and operates schools in some of Pakistan’s most under-resourced areas — places that are often overlooked entirely. Today, TCF runs 2,033 schools across the country, with over 301,000 students enrolled, all taught by an all-women faculty of 14,700 teachers and principals. These schools provide more than just an education — they offer hope, structure, safety, and a future.

As part of the Ambassadors of Change Programme, I’ve been learning how to raise awareness, fundraise, and take action. This isn’t just something I’m doing to fill my summer — it’s something that’s changed how I see the world. I’ve realized how lucky I am to have always had access to a classroom, and how heartbreaking it is that so many children never get that chance — just because of where they were born. I’ve realized how unfair it is that millions of children in Pakistan are still denied that chance. Not because they lack talent or drive, but simply because they were born into the wrong circumstances.

This campaign is personal. I’m not just a student anymore — I’m someone who’s seen what’s possible when a child is given the opportunity to learn. And I can’t look away from that.

With just AED 100, you can cover the cost of education for two children for a whole month. That’s all it takes to help change the course of someone’s life.

I’m inviting you from the heart  to be part of this with me. Your support, no matter how small, has the power to open a door that might otherwise stay closed forever.

Let’s not wait for someone else to fix this. Let’s be the reason a child gets to sit in a classroom this year.

If you’d like to learn more or support the cause, please feel free to reach out at +971 505688106 or info@tcfuae.org.

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