80 years ago, a young boy meandered through the streets of Kot Ishaq harboring a vision and unyielding spirit to transcend the barriers brought about through a lack of education. At a time when schooling took the backseat when it came to a man’s priorities, this was a boy who’s belief in education fueled his impetus to break every societal and economic difficulty that faced him and his family. From a young age, this boy recognized the immeasurable capabilities an education had to offer, and he set his mind on taking full advantage of such edification in order to carry not only himself, but also his people into an era of prosperity. Facing acute circumstances, he managed to educate himself, achieving outstanding academic successes. His efforts eventually led to his position as a civil servant and high-ranking official in the Indian Civil Service. However, he did not forget his people upon the completion of his own personal triumphs. During his lifetime, Mohamad Hussain Sufi did all that he could to better the circumstances of his people.
His dream however, was only wholly solidified and brought into actualization by his son, Parvez Sufi. In 1994, he established the M.H Sufi Foundation (in memory of his father), a non-profit organization that aims to improve the standard of education available in the region of Hafizabad, Pakistan. And this too, done so that the local communities in the area may invest in the education of their children in the present, so to guarantee a promise of a brighter future.
The M.H. Sufi Foundation is a non-profit organization that was established in 1994. It strives to promote and provide a quality and easily available education in the rural areas of Pakistan, specifically in District Hafizabad. The son of the late Mohammad Hussain Sufi, who was a former ICS Officer, founded the project originally from Kot Ishaq Village. Recognizing the deficiency of educational facilities in such rural areas, and the need for a fundamental change required to alter the course of social and economic prosperity of those residing in District Hafizabad, the M.H Sufi foundation is determined to equalize the gap in educational standards between urban and rural areas. The establishment of an educational pipeline in the region, we hope, will cease to make education a question of privilege, and transform it into a matter of equal opportunities.
Given the objective of the foundation, the first school become operational in 1994 in village Kot Ishaaq offering education for classes Prep junior to one with eight (8) faculty members and 101 students. Since then the first school has grown into a complete high school with 2500 students and 150 faculty members. Similarly, the foundation has expanded to a total of eighteen (18) schools in district Hafiz Abad with 8400 students (43% females) and 713 faculty members.
