U Microfinance Bank and Shahid Afridi Foundation collaborate to uplift Pakistan’s education sector

ISLAMABAD – U Microfinance Bank, Pakistan’s fastest-growing microfinance bank, has joined hands with Shahid Afridi Foundation (SAF) for the SAF Education initiative. Under this partnership, U Bank will support the establishment of an IT Lab at SAF School, Malikpur Campus, Lahore.

This collaboration is aimed towards uplifting the education sector in Pakistan and will enable 430 students, currently enrolled at the campus, to learn computer usage, coding, and programming skills.  In addition, this collaboration will open doors for the provision of financial services to the SAF across a broad spectrum of banking solutions.

The MoU signing ceremony was held at U Bank’s head office in Islamabad and was signed by Mr. Kabeer Naqvi, President & CEO – U Microfinance Bank and Mr. Shahid Afridi – Chairman SAF, in the presence of the senior management of both the collaborating organizations. 

On the occasion, Mr. Shahid Afridi, Chairman SAF stated, “Today’s students need ‘twenty-first-century skills,’ like critical thinking, problem solving, creativity, and digital literacy. Learners of all ages need to become familiar with new technologies and cope with rapidly changing workplaces.” He also stated that the partnership with U Bank is the first step to uplift underserved communities, and that SAF will further expand this partnership to reach various sectors of the economy.

Mr. Kabeer Naqvi, President & CEO – U Microfinance Bank, stressed the need for a skills-based education program for students. He stated, “Education is an essential right for every human. As a mission-driven financial institution focused on uplifting the underprivileged sectors of the society, we are glad to have partnered with SAF for this initiative. We exist in a dynamic world that is consistently journeying towards social and economic inclusion and Digitization is the fastest and most effective way.”

Shahid Afridi Foundation’s education initiative focuses on empowering and uplifting youth to become independent contributing members of the society. The program is an organized set of learning activities designed to enable students to develop knowledge, understanding, and skills which allows them to improve their academic performance and develop vocational skills.