About us

Who we are

TCF-UK was incorporated and registered as a charity in 2001 (England & Wales: 1087864). Since then it has made considerable progress in meeting its objectives – both financial and in awareness.

TCF-UK raises funds for the construction and ongoing support of TCF schools, contributing approximately 10% of TCF Pakistan’s total budget. Funds are raised from generous individuals, corporates, matched giving schemes, events and Trusts and Foundations. Our media coverage includes The Times, The FT, Guardian, New Statesman and the BBC.

TCF-UK’s accounts are audited annually and submitted to Companies House (Company number: 4075959). Our Trustees are drawn from a variety of professional and business backgrounds and are appointed on an entirely voluntary basis.

Our achievements

• TCF has a network of 910 purpose built operational school units across Pakistan: 610 primary school units; 220 secondary school units.
• We have an enrolment of 126,000 underprivileged students.
• Our schools have a balanced gender ratio: close to 50% female students.
• TCF has created more than 9000 jobs, mostly for women, of which 6,300 are female faculty positions.
• TCF offers a high quality, modern education that is extremely cost-effective.
• TCF has gained certification from PCP (Pakistan Centre for Philanthropy). TCF is amongst the highest scoring organisations certified by PCP to date.
• We have raised public awareness about the dire illiteracy problem in Pakistan.

The need for The Citizens Foundation TCF has built all its schools in urban slums and rural villages where the poorest and most vulnerable children live. 84% of the cost of running these schools falls on TCF’s shoulders. Thus, despite winning numerous international accolades for providing an excellent education at an extremely low cost, we need your help to run our schools; to maintain the high standards of quality in our schools and to continue expanding our network to areas where the need is greatest.

According to a Unesco report, the government only spends 2.4% of its GDP on education against the Unesco-recommended norm of a minimum of 4%. Some 3,500 schools do not have a building: of those that do, 4000 are classed as “dangerous”; 29,000 schools have no electricity; 14,000 have no drinking water; 22,000 do not have a toilet; 4,000 consist of a single classroom; and fewer than 100 secondary schools have science labs.

In 1995, a group of businessmen felt these statistics couldn’t be ignored anymore. They believed that disadvantaged children deserved the same opportunities that they were able to offer their own children, so they decided to take matters into their own hands.

Their shared vision was a network of schools that would raise good citizens with world-class academic and life skills – plus the confidence to live by them. Today, that vision is a reality. TCF schools ensure Pakistan’s poorest children are given the opportunity to realise their true potential. More importantly, these children can now hope for a better future.

Making the simplest of dreams come true
The first TCF school opened its doors over 18 years ago, thanks to generous private donations and support from corporate companies. Today, there are over 910 schools, which provide high-quality education to over 126,000 children.

All schools are purpose built and equipped with play areas, libraries, working single-sex washrooms and running water. All classrooms are designed for maths, science, art as well as Urdu and English lessons. In addition to these facilities, our secondary schools enjoy science labs and computer rooms.

Equal opportunities for both boys and girls
To encourage female enrolment, TCF employs only female teaching staff. Although all teachers are fully qualified, they undergo further training within the TCF teacher training college, which ensures all teachers are qualified to the high standard TCF requires. As the distance to schools is a key factor that affects the enrolment of girls, TCF builds schools within communities to ensure easy access to the schools.

Encouraging a sense of dignity and pride
All TCF schools are run on a pay-as-you-can-afford basis; families are encouraged to make a nominal contribution towards school fees. Many households’ income is extremely low, so families often pay as little as 10 rupees (6p) per month. We believe this enables parents to feel part of their child’s education and to take ownership thereof. It also helps to build a sense of pride amongst communities.

Our Vision
To remove barriers of class and privilege to produce self-confident, civic-minded young adults, equipped to think for themselves in today’s world and realise their potential.

Our Mission
To bring about an enduring positive change for communities with greatest need through:

• The power of quality education, enabling moral, spiritual, and intellectual enlightenment.
• Creating opportunities to improve quality of life.

None of this would have been possible without the amazing generosity of our UK donors. Please join hands with The Citizens Foundation (UK) today and help change thousands of young lives forever.