The first KE KHI Awards, held on Saturday, April 3rd 2021, recognised the efforts of organisations working for the betterment of millions of Karachi’s residents on a non-profit basis.

34 winners were announced in thirteen categories ranging from Education to Public Health, Uplifting Communities, Inclusion, Livelihoods and Vocational Training, Heritage and Culture to Digital Accessibility and Financial Inclusion, as well as Sports and Women Empowerment.

Speaking at the awards virtually, Governor Sindh Imran Ismail said, “The participants and winners of these awards are an integral part of the state, as they support the government in its efforts to help the people of the city across a number of different fields including education, public health and sustainability. I appreciate KE’s step to recognise the efforts of these NGOs and I am sure that it will be a catalyst towards bigger plans. The process was conducted with utmost transparency and impartiality, and all organisations were evaluated on their performance alone.”

While all the organisations honoured at the awards are doing commendable work in their respective fields, women empowerment was one of the key focus areas.

Out of the many contenders in the category of empowering women, organisations that won big were The Kiran Foundation, The Citizens Foundation and Behbud Association Karachi.

Here's a quick look at what each of these organisations believe in and root for:

The Kiran Foundation believes in educating both mothers and children together

The Kiran Foundation, spearheaded by the dynamic Sabeena Khatri, recipient of the Sitara-e-Imtiaz award, is a non-profit NGO that works for the upliftment of women and children in the area of Lyari.

Having started Kiran Foundation in 2006, the organisation was initially educating 20 children until they moved to Lyari and adopted a government school in 2014, introducing the ethos of educating mothers along with their children.

The results were impressive; street children with zero educational background and no apparent future started enrolling with their mothers, and suddenly, the school had a strength of more than 800 students.

Sabeen Khatri said, “A mother is the catalyst. Involve her and the society will improve. Never underestimate her spirit of sacrifice, resilience and tolerance. We took just a step and now they are unstoppable in education and enterprise. No child is enrolled without the mother and she gets an education alongside the children. Any award is a recognition. Of course the units will help us save on electricity and we’ll spend it in other areas but what it’s done has raised our morale and the motivation is now sky-high.”

The Citizens Foundation has been at the forefront of educating children from the less privileged areas

An SECP registered not-for-profit organisation, TCF has 250,000 children enrolled in over 16,000 schools across the country.

Amna Khalid, who is a volunteer at the school said, “We thank KE for the recognition. Our project is Agaahi which is a programme for women’s adult literacy. Currently we have 20,000 students enrolled and this award will enable us to help many more.”

Behbud Association enables women to make their own income

The third winner in the category, Behbud Association provides work opportunities to women to supplement their household income.

In addition, it has been working since 1970 to uplift and empower residents of marginalised communities by providing quality and low cost education, health services and vocational training.

Run by a group of volunteer women whose aim is to empower underprivileged women and children, the non-profit organisation impacts nearly 200,000 beneficiaries annually.

What are KE KHI Awards aiming to achieve?

While speaking at the ceremony, CEO K-Electric, Moonis Alvi noted, "KE is excited to bring the inaugural edition of the KHI Awards. Our relationship with the city extends over 107 years, and we are embedded in the fabric of Karachi."

“It is heartening to see so many competent and passionate organisations working at the forefront to uplift the city. These awards are KE’s humble effort to acknowledge their dedication and are proud to extend our support in their ongoing efforts. KE is also grateful to the jury members who volunteered their time and expertise, as well as our audit partners who ensured credibility and transparency in the evaluating process."

All 140 entries were vetted by an independent panel of jurists headed by Saad Amanullah Khan, founder of #IAmKarachi, and included leads and seniors from several leading organisations of the metropolis.

Speaking about the process and selection of winners, Saad Amanullah Khan shared, “We had an overwhelming number of entries to choose from for our first edition. The winners have been instrumental in making a tremendous impact on the city nd their total asset base stands at over PKR 54 billion, which is the welfare investment these organisations are making to drive progress in Pakistan and its largest metropolitan city. KE's decision to honour these organisations and empowering them is commendable."

Apart from recognition of their efforts, the 34 winners were also given a rebate in their electricity bills ranging from Rs250,000 to Rs5 Million.

Final list of winners

Under each category, the following organisations have won awards:

• Digital Accessibility and Financial Inclusion

doctHERs

• Education

1. Idara e Taleem o Agahi

2. Orange Tree Foundation

3. Institute of Business Administration, Karachi

4. Development in Literacy

• Empowering Women

1. Kiran Foundation

2. The Citizens Foundation (TCF)

3. Behbud Association Karachi

• Heritage and Culture

1. National Academy of Performing Arts

2. Idara e Taleem o Agahai

3. Tehzeeb Foundation of Pakistan

• Inclusion

1. Marie Adelaide Leprosy Centre

2. Family Educational Services Foundation (FESF)

3. Hands

• Livelihoods and Vocational Training

1. The Hunar Foundation

2. Who is Hussain? Foundation

3. Karachi Vocational Training Center

• New Organisations (less than 12 months old)

1. Pakistan Legal United Society (PLUS - Legal Aid)

2. Pink Pakistan Trust

• Public Health

1. Indus Hospital and Health Network (IHHN)

2. Layton Rahmatulla Benevolent Trust (LRBT)

3. ChildLife Foundation

4. Fatimid Foundation

5. Lady Dufferin Hospital

6. Bait ul Sukoon Cancer Hospital

• Safety (Road, Fire, Home, Personal)

1. Pakistan Life Saving Foundation (PALS Rescue)

2. Citizens Police liaison committee (CPLC) Sindh

• Social Service

1. Ayesha Chundrigar Foundation

2. AMTF Helping Blood Disorder Program

3. Roshni Research and Development Welfare Organisation

4. Panah Trust (Panah Shelter Home)

• Sports

Karachi United Football Foundation Trust

• Sustainability and Environment

NED University of Engineering and Technology

• Uplifting Communities

INFAQ Foundation

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