The unwavering, year-round generosity of committed donors and philanthropists — many of whom prefer to remain anonymous — was warmly acknowledged as their support continues to secure the education, dignity and well-being of 2,150 orphaned students and their families enrolled in the charitable schools of the Green Crescent Trust (GCT) across Sindh’s most remote and underserved areas.
To honour this collective compassion, the GCT organised a day-long fun gala for around 1,300 orphaned students from its schools in Karachi and Thatta at a renowned holiday resort located off the M-9 Motorway.
Similar recreational galas would be held later this month at Hyderabad’s Rani Bagh and at Lab-e-Mehran in Sukkur, ensuring that all orphaned students enrolled in GCT schools shared in the celebrations.
The occasion also marked the formal launch of the Trust’s Ramazan 2026 Fundraising Drive, which aims to raise Rs 500 million to accelerate efforts to enrol out-of-school children across Sindh and further strengthen the fight against illiteracy.
Welcoming guests and donors, Zahid Saeed, GCT Chief Executive Officer, said the trust’s patrons consistently ensured the provision of special hygiene and education kits, along with annual food ration packages, for orphaned students. He paid special tribute to ICNA (Islamic Circle of North America) Canada, whose philanthropists conceived and financially supported the idea of a comprehensive, year-round assistance programme for orphaned students. He said that the educational, co-curricular and extra-curricular needs of these children were being addressed holistically, enabling them to grow into confident, productive citizens capable of contributing meaningfully to Pakistan’s development.
“These students are being equipped to secure their own futures while uplifting families that face severe economic hardship,” he noted. Expressing gratitude to the management of the Dreamworld Resort, the GCT chief said the resort had been granting honorary day-long membership every year, allowing orphaned students to enjoy all recreational facilities and joyrides — an experience that brought joy, confidence and a sense of inclusion.
Highlighting the trust’s long-term impact, Saeed shared that nine graduates from GCT schools in the small town of Mehrabpur had gone on to become doctors, now serving the medical needs of their local communities.
He said the trust, backed by sustained philanthropic support, had established a network of 173 charitable schools across underprivileged regions of Sindh, currently educating 34,660 students from deprived families. He added that the GCT was firmly on track to achieve its Vision-2030, which envisaged expanding the network to 250 schools with a capacity of 100,000 students in the coming five years.
He also announced that from 2026, the GCT planned to expand its schooling network beyond Sindh to benefit needy families in other underserved parts of the country. Saeed acknowledged the business communities of Lahore and Islamabad, who recently contributed an impressive Rs150 million at fundraising events to support education for children from marginalised communities in Sindh.
Speaking as chief guest, Atif Iqbal, group chief executive officer of the High-Q Pharma, said he and other committed donors of the GCT would extend additional support to ensure that orphaned students were able to pursue higher education free.
He reaffirmed his continued commitment to supporting the academic futures of these orphaned students and safeguarding the well-being of their families, calling the work of the GCT “an investment in Pakistan’s most precious resource—its children.”
