“Akhter was really worried about money. He wasn’t able to make ends meet for his family so I offered him a loan for his business. I’m a bridge between people who want to help and the ones who need help. I get enormous satisfaction from knowing that education has empowered me. Now, I’m doing something that I always wanted to do, … helping people around me.”

Anum Fatima started her remarkable journey with TCF in seventh grade. Born in a family facing significant financial challenges, Anum saw her father working tirelessly as a driver in a local company. From a very young age, she committed herself to meeting her father’s only expectation from his children –they work hard and focus on their studies.

After graduating from TCF in the year 2006, Anum went on to become the first girl in her family to attend college and completed her MBA from College of Business Management in Karachi. In the year 2013, she received a scholarship to attend a summer program at Harvard University. At the completion of the program, Anum was selected to be the Grand Prize Winner in her class.

During a subsequent internship in Washington DC, Anum designed a micro lending project for her community with Julie Garel, Project Director at Convergence, a policy research organization. She launched the project upon her return and so far, has already provided micro loans to two families, helping them improve their own lives.