For the younger generation of Pakistan, the underprivileged among them especially.
The 2030 Sustainable Development Goals were the starting point, and poverty alleviation came first.
Why CSIC exists
Bridging Potential and Opportunity
Connecting universities, alumni and communities for social impact.
A noble cause. This is a work of community building service, the fourth duty of a professor, offered for the sake of Allah and, InshaAllah, a source of Sadaqah Jariyah.
The problem we will address
Across Pakistan's public schools, colleges and universities there are talented, hardworking young
people from low-income families who cannot see a path ahead. They meet few role models, gain few
recognised skills, and have no mentor or career guide. Many lack the basics, such as a laptop, a phone,
a uniform or shoes, and no one connects them to a scholarship, an internship or a first job. The people
who could help, alumni, teachers, professionals and employers, are not connected to them. Talent is lost
to the young person, the family and the economy.
Context: about 64 per cent of Pakistanis are under thirty (UNDP, National Human Development
Report 2017), and 26.2 million children are out of school (Federal Ministry of Education, Girls'
Education Statistics and Trends Report 2023-24, February 2026).
Our vision
Every underprivileged young person in Pakistan sees what is possible, gains the skills to reach it,
and finds the support for the first step.
Our mission
To connect young people in Pakistan's public educational institutions with real stories, the latest
skills, career guidance and practical support, online and on site together, guided by truth, honesty,
respect and hard work.
Our four valuesTruthHonestyRespectHard work
Four objectives
Inspire. Educate. Guide. Connect.
One objective for each wing, and a fourth that joins them. Each carries where we are now and how we will
measure it.
Objective 1 · Unsung Achievers
Inspire
Real stories, shared online
Share, in Urdu and English, the real stories of unsung heroes who rose through truth, honesty, respect
and hard work, across South Asia (the SAARC region) and especially Pakistan, so a young person sees
what is possible and what it takes.
Where we are now, and how we will measure
Where we are now
496 videos, more than 100 long episodes, 84K+ YouTube views, since August 2024
How we will measure it
Viewers who report acting on a story
SDG 4SDG 5
Objective 2 · CourseMera
Educate
E-certification, the latest skills
Teach online through e-certification, passing on the latest skills and technology, free to watch, to
learners across South Asia (the SAARC region) and especially Pakistan.
Where we are now, and how we will measure
Where we are now
Three complete courses, 45 lessons, open for certification since September 2025
How we will measure it
Certificates earned, and use of the skills three months later
SDG 4SDG 8
Objective 3 · Noor-e-Ilm
Guide and support
On site, in public institutions
On site in the public schools and colleges of Pakistan, Punjab first, from February 2027:
Guidance. Career and psychological counselling, and mentors.
Opportunity. Scholarships, internships, first jobs and help starting an enterprise.
Essentials. Laptops, phones, tablets, shoes and uniforms.
Opportunity and essentials come through partners and donors, as resources
allow. Every visit is made with the head's permission and written consent.
Where we are now, and how we will measure
Where we are now
150+ volunteer ambassadors registered by December 2024; on site from February 2027
How we will measure it
Mentees who report a career decision after guidance
SDG 1SDG 4SDG 5SDG 8SDG 10
Objective 4 · The whole Centre
Connect and research
Online and on site, together
Run the online and on-site work together so each strengthens the other, and research the workforce
gaps in an economy shared by people and intelligent machines, across Pakistan and South Asia.
Where we are now, and how we will measure
Where we are now
The Research Bulletin format is published, and the first study has been in the field since September 2026
How we will measure it
Studies published, and a survey cohort tracked year on year
SDG 8SDG 10
CSIC works in the open: it publishes what it does, takes ethics approval for its
research, and records every story with consent. SDG 16
1No Poverty
4Quality Education
5Gender Equality
8Decent Work and Economic Growth
10Reduced Inequalities
16Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions
What makes this different
Others Do One Part Well. We Join Them.
Pakistan already has good mentoring, career counselling desks and free skills courses. Each stands alone.
CSIC puts them together in one journey for one young person.
1
A story, a skill, a guide
A real story shows what is possible. A free, certified course makes it a skill. A mentor on site helps
choose the road. Each feeds the next.
2
Ordinary heroes, not celebrities
Real, consented life journeys of teachers, farmers, doctors, bankers and everyday citizens, in Urdu and
English, told as learning material.
3
Online and on site as one system
What we learn in the classroom shapes the next story and the next course, and what the videos teach
prepares the visit.
4
Built on evidence
Research tracks whether it works, and the findings are published in plain language through the Research
Bulletin.
5
Proven before asking
Volunteer-built and self-funded since 2024, with 648 videos, 94K+ YouTube views across both channels and three courses
already running.
Who contributes
Eight Groups Make This Work
The young person is at the centre of all of them. Each group gives something specific, and gets
something specific back.
Public schools, colleges and universities
What they contribute
A room and a morning for each visit, and access to their students
What comes back
Guidance their students would not otherwise get, and a record of the visit
Objective
3
Alumni and mentors
What they contribute
Mentoring, visits and sessions, one young person at a time
What comes back
A certificate of participation, a named credit, and a young person who remembers them
Objective
3, 4
Student volunteers and ambassadors
What they contribute
Recording, editing, outreach and research
What comes back
Certificates and real experience
Objective
1, 2, 3
Industry and employers
What they contribute
Internships, first jobs, mentors and cases
What comes back
First access to prepared graduates, and a published case of the organisation
Objective
3, 4
Funders and donorsCSR, zakat, grants, in-kind
What they contribute
Scholar kits, devices and scholarships
What comes back
A register, photographs with the head of the institution, and a report
Objective
3
Unsung achieversGuests and storytellers
What they contribute
Their life journeys and their time
What comes back
A recorded place in the story of Pakistan
Objective
1
Faculty, advisors and researchers
What they contribute
Psychological counselling, mentoring, joint studies and data
What comes back
Co-authorship, named acknowledgement and a share in the data
Objective
3, 4
Public bodies, media and networks
What they contribute
Open doors to schools, carry the stories and the Bulletin to a wider audience, recognise certificates