The Citizens Foundation USA

I have been to their fundraising and awareness events. My hats off to the passion of volunteers. I visited Pakistan and decided to visit TCF schools where I met teachers and students. All schools I visited are operating in beautiful purpose built buildings. I was surprised to see the confidence demonstrated by both students and teachers. All children come from very poor backgrounds. TCF is providing very high quality education to the underprivileged girls and boys. I was equally impressed by their gender equality in classrooms with 50% girls and 50% boys.

I visited their teachers training centers and was most impressed. I also visited the head office of TCF in Karachi and was amazed to see the quality of their management team. Now I understand why TCF is one of the best NGOs in the world in the education sector.

I worked with The Citizens Foundation USA via Harvard for Pakistan (http://Harvard4Pakistan.org) and they were a phenomenal group! They are very transparent about where the money goes (in our case 100% to the Sonmiani primary schools project), and are clearly committed to making a solid impact and actually solving critical problems with the lack of access to education in Pakistan. A phenomenal group - I highly recommend them!

I became associated with TCF USA in 2007, after moving to the United States from Karachi. Throughout my association with this wonderful organization, I have admired it for its acute attention to financial transparency, fiercely passionate and no-frills governance, and an unwavering commitment to the cause of education for the underprivileged. One of the hardest things about being out of the country is hearing about the difficult, dark period Pakistan is going through, and feeling so helpless about it. TCF USA has always made me counter that feeling of helplessness, and instead feel empowered to really make a difference for Pakistan as a volunteer. The wonderful schools that it helps build counter the most pervasive and poisonous of all of Pakistan's problems--its educational system--and are a ray of light for all of Pakistan. Every year, TCF USA ropes in new volunteers and new donors from the Pakistani-American as well as local communities, and all these people put their absolute trust in it because this is an organization that is completely transparent, and that ensures that each and every penny its donors give, goes to the right place in a timely manner. Its tiny staff works day and night to serve its growing base of donors, providing information and updates, coordinating fundraising efforts, and constantly recruiting additions to a large and uncommonly dedicated batch of volunteers that any nonprofit would be proud to have. My family and I are all hugely proud to be a part of this organization, and will continue to do so always. Godspeed, TCF USA.