SDG 1: No Poverty

Introduction

Ghulam Ishaq Khan Institute of Engineering Sciences and Technology, is a prominent educational institution in Pakistan, contributing to SDG – 1 through its educational and research programs. Here’s a brief description of the commitments and efforts the GIK Institute in the context of ending poverty:

Quality Education: The GIK Institute committed to providing high-quality education and skill development programs to students, especially in fields like engineering, sciences, and technology. By equipping students with the knowledge and skills they need to excel in these areas, the institute help reduce poverty by increasing employability and income-earning potential.

Research and Innovation: Through its research initiatives, the GIK Institute focus on projects and studies that have a direct impact on poverty reduction. This includes research on sustainable technologies, and other areas relevant to the economic development of impoverished communities.

Community Outreach: The GIK Institute engaged in community outreach programs to support nearby underserved communities. This involve providing entrepreneurial support to help residents improve their livelihoods and overall well-being.

Scholarships and Financial Aid: The institute established scholarship and financial aid programs to ensure that deserving students from disadvantaged backgrounds have access to quality education. This helps in breaking the cycle of poverty by providing opportunities for those who might not have had access otherwise.

Collaboration and Partnerships: The GIK Institute collaborate with governmental and non-governmental organizations, as well as industry partners, to work on poverty alleviation projects. By joining forces with other stakeholders, the institute have a more significant impact on addressing poverty at various levels.

Sustainable Practices: The institute promotes and implemented sustainable practices within its campus and academic programs. By educating students on sustainability and environmental responsibility, it contributes to poverty reduction in the long term by addressing environmental issues that often disproportionately affect impoverished communities.

Social Entrepreneurship Initiatives: Encouraging and supporting social entrepreneurship programs is another way by the GIK Institute to contribute to poverty reduction. These initiatives empower students to develop innovative solutions to social challenges while creating economic opportunities.

Brief description of activities

GIK, DoST and KPITB sign MoU for establishing a Venture Capital Fund for the Development and Growth of Startups in KP

The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between Ghulam Ishaq Khan Institute (GIKI), the Department of Science and Technology (DoST), and the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Information Technology Board (KPITB) to establish a Venture Capital Fund for the development and growth of startups in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) directly supports Sustainable Development Goal 1 (SDG 1): No Poverty.

This initiative aims to foster entrepreneurship, innovation, and economic growth by providing critical financial resources to emerging startups in the region, particularly in the technology and innovation sectors. By facilitating access to venture capital, the MoU helps create new business opportunities, promote job creation, and stimulate economic development, which are essential drivers of poverty reduction.

Startups play a key role in economic development, and by supporting these businesses, the partnership seeks to empower local entrepreneurs, especially in underdeveloped regions like KP. The fund will help address economic disparities, support sustainable business practices, and promote inclusive growth, ultimately contributing to poverty alleviation. Through this collaboration, GIKI, DoST, and KPITB are not only nurturing a thriving startup ecosystem but also working toward reducing inequalities and enhancing local economic opportunities, in alignment with SDG 1’s objective of eradicating poverty and promoting shared prosperity.

Scholarships Available at GIK Institute:

Ghulam Ishaq Khan Institute (GIKI) offers a range of scholarships at both the graduate and undergraduate levels to ensure that financial constraints do not hinder talented students from pursuing quality education. These scholarships are designed to support students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds, enabling them to access world-class education in science, engineering, and technology. At the undergraduate level, merit-based and need-based scholarships are available to help deserving students manage their tuition and living expenses, while graduate students can benefit from research-based scholarships and fellowships, often tied to faculty-led projects or industry partnerships. By making education more accessible, GIKI’s scholarship programs contribute directly to Sustainable Development Goal 1 (SDG 1): No Poverty. These opportunities not only help alleviate the financial burden on students but also promote economic mobility, as they enable individuals from low-income families to pursue higher education and improve their future earning potential. By empowering students to overcome economic barriers, GIKI is playing a crucial role in breaking the cycle of poverty and promoting inclusive and sustainable economic growth.

For more information: 

https://giki.edu.pk/admissions/admissions-graduate/grad-aid-scholarships/

https://giki.edu.pk/admissions/admissions-undergraduates/ugrad-aid-scholarships/

GIK Institute Collaborates with Akhuwat Foundation:

Akhuwat – Poverty Alleviation Through Higher Education (PATH) is an initiative designed to provide financial and academic support to students from disadvantaged backgrounds, helping them pursue higher education and break the cycle of poverty. Recently, Ghulam Ishaq Khan Institute of Engineering Sciences and Technology (GIKI) and Akhuwat Foundation have explored potential collaboration through the PATH program. This partnership aims to empower students from underprivileged areas by offering them access to quality education and the resources necessary to succeed academically, ultimately fostering social mobility and economic growth in underserved communities. 

• Project Topi Ramadan Ration Drive 2024

Project Topi has successfully donated 333 ration bags to families in need during this blessed month of Ramazan. These bags, which provide essential food items, are already making a significant difference in the lives of many struggling families. However, there are still over 250 families waiting for assistance, and we need your continued help to ensure no one is left behind. Each ration bag costs Rs. 5340, and your donation can bring relief to those who need it most. Together, we can make this Ramazan a little brighter for our community.

• Project Topi mess Bill Aid Program

Project Topi is proud to offer Mess Bill Aid to support students facing financi

al hardships, ensuring that they have access to nutritious meals without the added stress of financial burdens. This initiative aims to ease the daily challenges of students from underprivileged backgrounds, helping them focus on their studies and personal growth. By covering a portion or the entirety of their mess bills, Project Topi ensures that students can continue their education without compromising on their health and well-being. Through this program, we hope to create a supportive environment where every student, regardless of their financial situation, has the opportunity to succeed and thrive.

• Project Topi raised donations for needy students
  A GIK Institute student from a humble background needed to take one important course to complete his degree. He had been studying on scholarship but as summer courses are not included in the scholarship, it was difficult for him to manage his finances for it. He was married with three children and had no other source of income. Project Topi raised donations via social media platform and successfully closed the case with enough donations for student to continue with his education.

• Alumni Association Financial Assistance Program

Support of need-based financial assistance has been the key element of GIKI Alumni Association goals and objectives to enable students at GIK Institute to fulfill their dreams. Since inception in 2003, GIKI Alumni Association has supported more than 200+ students to fulfill their dreams. Some key performance indicators are mentioned below from the last three years.

• Support people of Topi/ Open donations

Project Topi, alongside its bucket of modules and programs, also has a very active miscellaneous problem and case handling system. Project Topi is an organization that works all year round and has a lasting impact in Topi and out of Topi. It takes various cases of people of Topi and does its best to help them I every way possible.
Most people in Topi have mud houses, which are always on the verge of destruction due to the heavy rains. Project Topi helps them financially to build a safe shelter for them through the donations of generous people. Whenever there arrives a need for blood, we run a campaign to arrange the blood for the person in need in the minimum time possible.
We also arrange funds for various medical cases such as kidney transplants, chemotherapy, bone fractures etc. Alongside our official modules and programs, Project Topi handles a whole lot of miscellaneous cases, and it does it across Pakistan. As it is common knowledge, being a completely student run and managed organization Project Topi have capacity bottlenecks. It does not have huge resources and our total strength is somewhere near 100. Despite all those resource constraints, Project Topi strives as much as it can to do good and help people who deserve it and even in limited available resources, Project Topi shows exemplary performance. This organization is transparent yet opaque. Project Topi keeps the identities of those it helps secret while those who help and donate recorded and documented in its database.

• Project Topi collaboration with Akbar Kare Foundation

Project Topi, in collaboration with Akbar Kare Institute (AKI) held an informative session on “Bridging Healthcare and Engineering for Child Assistive Technology.” The session aimed to highlight research opportunities in the field of Assistive Technology and foster collaboration with the students and faculty of GIKI for the research and development of innovative solutions. By bringing together experts from healthcare and engineering, the event provided valuable insights into how interdisciplinary efforts could advance technologies that improve the lives of children in need of assistive devices.

• Project Topi Supports GIKI Student Through Open Donations to Cover Mess Bill Crisis

Project Topi was able to successfully close the case of a GIKI student who was facing a severe financial crisis. The student, who comes from a humble background, was unable to pay an outstanding mess bill of approximately 70,000 PKR. Despite his unwavering dedication to his studies, the financial burden had become insurmountable. Thanks to the support of our compassionate community, we were able to cover the entire mess bill, alleviating a significant source of stress for the student and allowing him to continue his academic journey without worry. Your generosity has made a meaningful impact, and we are truly grateful for your continued support in helping students overcome financial challenges.

• Project Topi Flood relief Campaign in collaboration with other student societies at GIK Institute

Due to heavy monsoon rain, most regions of Pakistan are experiencing floods. The flood has destroyed their lives and has left them without shelter and food. We here at Project Topi are working to provide flood relief aid to our fellow Pakistanis.

• Clothes donation for flood affected areas in Pakistan
  Project Topi under the Student Affairs Department is a completely student run, not-for-profit, non-government and volunteer-based organization situated in Ghulam Ishaq Khan Institute of Engineering in Topi, Swabi. Al-Khidmat Foundation Pakistan is one of the leading, non-profit organization, fully dedicated to humanitarian services since 1990. The services include disaster management, health services, education, orphan care, clean water, Mawakhat (interest-free loan) and other community services. The devastation caused by floods due to the current monsoon in Pakistan is still going on. Sindh, Baluchistan and South Punjab have been severely affected, while Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Gilgit Baltistan have also suffered massive losses. According to the data from the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), 33 million population of 81 districts have been affected. To help Pakistanis recover from such difficult times, Project Topi collaborated with Al-Khidmat Foundation for a Cloth Donation Drive and funds Donation Drive. All the clothes and donations were collected, members gathered to categorize the clothes and then send to the laundry service. After that, representatives of the Al-Khidmat Foundation visited Ghulam Ishaq Khan Institute to collect the donations. The response during the drive was overwhelming, and a significant amount of donations were collected and sent to the flood victims under the supervision of Al-Khidmat Foundation.
  • Flood Donations
    
          Al-khidmat  130,000 PKR

       Akhuwat      100,000 PKR

        JDC               35,000 PKR
           ——————————–
          Total         265,000 PKR

• GIKI Alumni Campus in collaboration with The Citizen Foundation (TCF)
  GIKI alumni from some of our earliest batches took initiative to establish a #TCF primary school in Swabi, KPK Pakistan.

The proposed site is located at Parmoli. Parmoli is an existing cluster of 3 primary and 2 secondary TCF schools. A Primary Unit consists of six class rooms from KG to V (30/ classroom) and a Secondary Unit is consisted of five class rooms from Grade VI to X (36/ classroom).
Parmoli is a thickly populated area where an existing TCF School – Shirin Sultan Dossa Campus XVII – is operating at its full capacity of 183 students since 2007. There is an increasing demand from the community for another Primary School. Therefore, TCF proposed construction of a primary school unit for build-cycle 2017-18 (academic session 2018-19) on the above-mentioned location.
The site is in a rural area with mostly low to medium income households. This location has been selected by TCF based on a strategic assessment of the area to determine “need”, as well as TCF’s operational priorities. The region survey assessment considers existing number of schools, number of children of school going age, poverty level, site suitability and land assessment.

https://www.tcf.org.pk/schools/khyber-paktoonkhwa/giki-alumni-campus/
https://gikialumni.org/tcf-gikiaa/
How to Donate: https://gikialumni.org/how-to-donate/

• Fruit-seller’s son, TCF alumnus graduates from GIKI

In a small, mud-brick house of Khuda ki Basti, a slum in Karachi, the power is out, mosquitos are buzzing around, and rainwater is seeping in through the roof. Muhammad Ahmad, a fruit-seller, smiles happily as he stacks up mangoes on his pushcart and shares,
“With my earnings, it would not have been possible for me to put Asad through a good school, college and university,” shares Ahmad. He leads us to the veranda where we join his wife and children who are waiting on a charpoy. He continues, “I had to drop out of school at a young age to support my family. It is my dream to educate all my children and TCF is making it possible.”

“In our community, boys are expected to take up full-time jobs at a young age but Baba (father) encouraged me to focus on my education,” shares Asad, a TCF school and college alumnus. “When I was leaving for university, he handed me some money for my living expenses which he had been saving to get our roof fixed. When I hesitated, he told me: The repairing of our home can wait but this opportunity might not come again.”
Asad, who graduated from the prestigious Ghulam Ishaq Khan Institute of Engineering Sciences and Technology, is ready to begin his first job at a software company. Two of his younger siblings, Saad and Sadia, are currently first-year students at TCF College while his two other sisters, Haadiya and Tooba are studying in Classes 9 and 7 at the TCF school in their community – all of whom have big dreams of their own!