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READ Foundation

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
(Redirected from Read Foundation)

READ Foundation
AbbreviationREAD
Formation1994
TypeNonprofit organization
HeadquartersIslamabad, Pakistan
Region served
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Punjab, Islamabad Capital Territory, Gilgit-Baltistan, Azad Jammu and Kashmir
Chairman
Jamil Ahmed[1]
CEO
Afzaal Ahmad[2]
WebsiteOfficial website, UK website

The Rural Education and Development (READ) Foundation is a non-profit educational network in Pakistan, founded in 1994.[3] It operates schools and literacy centres in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Punjab, the outskirts of Islamabad and Rawalpindi, Gilgit-Baltistan, and Azad Jammu and Kashmir.[4]

READ Foundation was established in 1994 when it opened its first school in Riala, a village in the Bagh District of Azad Jammu and Kashmir, with one teacher, one classroom and 25 students.[5] As of 2026, the foundation operates 624 educational institutions across Pakistan, comprising 422 formal schools, 120 literacy centres, and 82 schools adopted from the Government of Punjab.[6] According to the foundation's official social media page, this network serves approximately 135,000 students, including 14,000 orphans;[7] its international fundraising affiliates in the United Kingdom and United States separately report lower figures for Pakistan of around 120,000 students, 5,967 teachers, and 13,000 orphans across more than 400 schools, indicating some variation between the organisation's own published figures.[8][citation needed]

History

[edit]

In the 2005 Kashmir earthquake, the foundation lost a number of its school buildings; it subsequently worked to rebuild schools and support affected children.[9]

In June 2024, the Special Communications Organisation, a telecommunications subsidiary of the Pakistan Army operating in Azad Jammu and Kashmir, opened a software technology park in Muzaffarabad in collaboration with READ Foundation, intended to foster information-technology skills among local youth; a separate technology park opened the same day in Rawalakot was established with the state-run University of Poonch rather than with READ Foundation.[10]

In March 2026, the Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) allocated over 94.2 million rupees for 75 community-based girls' schools in Diamer District, Gilgit-Baltistan, under the Community-Based Accelerated Learning Schools (CBALS) programme linked to the Diamer-Bhasha Dam project. The schools, intended to enable around 2,250 out-of-school girls in Chilas, Tangir and Darel to access primary education, are being run through a joint arrangement involving WAPDA, the Gilgit-Baltistan Education Department and READ Foundation.[11]

International offices

[edit]

The foundation maintains fundraising offices in the United Kingdom, the United States, and Canada that support its schools in Pakistan.[12] In the United Kingdom, it is a registered charity under number 1160256.[13] In the United States, it is registered as a nonprofit organisation.[14] Beyond Pakistan, the foundation also runs education and welfare programmes in Bangladesh, Lebanon, Turkey and Yemen.[15]

References

[edit]
  1. ↑ "Our Board of Directors". readfoundation.org. READ Foundation. 26 January 2024. Retrieved 12 August 2026.
  2. ↑ "CEO's Message". readfoundation.org. READ Foundation. 11 March 2024. Retrieved 12 August 2026.
  3. ↑ "Prayers said for quake-hit school". BBC News. 11 October 2005. Retrieved 13 August 2026.
  4. ↑ "School Opening Programme". readfoundation.org. READ Foundation. 30 January 2024. Retrieved 12 August 2026.
  5. ↑ "Our Introduction". readfoundation.org. READ Foundation. 7 October 2020. Retrieved 12 August 2026.
  6. ↑ "School Opening Programme". readfoundation.org. READ Foundation. 30 January 2024. Retrieved 12 August 2026.
  7. ↑ "READ Foundation". facebook.com. READ Foundation. Retrieved 12 August 2026.
  8. ↑ "About Us". readfoundationusa.org. READ Foundation USA. Retrieved 12 August 2026.
  9. ↑ Choudary, Hassan (18 July 2010). "Rebuilding lives". tribune.com.pk. The Express Tribune. Archived from the original on 1 December 2021. Retrieved 12 August 2026.
  10. ↑ "Software tech parks opened in Muzaffarabad, Rawalakot". dawn.com. Dawn. 24 June 2024. Retrieved 12 August 2026.
  11. ↑ "WAPDA allocates Rs94.2m for girls' schools in Diamer". tribune.com.pk. The Express Tribune. 24 March 2026. Archived from the original on 24 March 2026. Retrieved 12 August 2026.
  12. ↑ "Volunteer Deployments". readfoundationcanada.org. READ Foundation Canada. Retrieved 14 July 2026.
  13. ↑ "READ FOUNDATION - Charity 1160256". register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk. Charity Commission for England and Wales. Retrieved 14 July 2026.
  14. ↑ Andrea Suozzo; Alec Glassford; Ash Ngu; Brandon Roberts. "Read Foundation Usa - Nonprofit Explorer". ProPublica. Retrieved 14 July 2026.
  15. ↑ "READ Foundation". ReliefWeb. United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Retrieved 14 July 2026.
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