BARD empowers talented young women in achieving their goals

Bilquis & Abdul Razak Dawood Foundation (BARD) has announced its support for two local young women in pursuance of their respective dreams. Ayesha Suhail, a resident of Lahore, is being sponsored by BARD Foundation to pursue her Master’s degree from University College London. While Haniya Minhas from Lahore is being sponsored for local and international tennis tournaments for the next year.

“It gives us immense pleasure to be supporting two bright young individuals in Ayesha and Haniya, both of whom are success stories in their individual capacity. The BARD Foundation actively supports initiatives that expand the youth’s choices in different professional arenas by amplifying their skillsets and creativity. The idea is to provide them an opportunity to make a positive impact on their lives, and in this process inspire others to do the same,” said Mehreen Dawood, Board Member.

Operating under the slogan ‘Changing Fortunes’, the BARD Foundation aims to enable deserving individuals to realize their potential as champions in their chosen fields. The target is to focus on the development of skills by enabling access to financial and social opportunities.

Haniya is Pakistan’s number one junior tennis player and the youngest girl in the country’s history to win a Women’s title at the age of 9. During the upcoming International Tennis Tournament in Spain, Haniya will be able to participate in 4 to 8 matches and receive coaching-on-court among the other young athletes from across the world. Taking part in these tournaments will certainly enable Haniya to become a more skilled athlete.

Ayesha Suhail is an ambitious young woman, dedicating her time and efforts to educating the underprivileged. Ayesha has goals to develop an educational program combined with technological solutions to improve the learning system across the country. To further her understanding of the subject and acquire greater skills, she wishes to attend UCL’s MA program on Education and Technology where she has been accepted.

Lacking the financial resources to study at the expensive institute, Ayesha sought assistance from BARD to help make this possible. Realizing the long-term positive impact of educating one girl, BARD decided to fund Ayesha’s entire educational expenses so she could amass the knowledge that will help her to develop beneficial educational programs for Pakistan.

These examples are just two of the many that BARD has undertaken to empower those ambitious individuals who lack the capital to polish their skills. BARD has also undertaken other bigger initiatives including setting up the Corona Relief Fund to assist the vulnerable groups during the pandemic days.   It also partnered with Akhuwat to provide sustenance packs to the needy community. The biggest and most impactful effort of BARD is in form of the Descon Technical Institute (DTI). DTI’s mission is to build a skilled and empowered Pakistan by helping the marginalized and financially challenged youth and provide them the skills they need to earn a sustainable means of livelihood.