Ma’ Jee’s dream coming true!

If not all, but at least the founders of Ma’ Jee Endowment Fund do believe a human has more mothers than one only. Of course, one is who gives you birth and dreams of the best future for her offspring. The second that turns the first’s dream into a reality, and that is an educational institution.
The thought of Ma’ Jee has so percolated into senior NEDians that they have made no less of a miracle which has begun helping the students whose mothers dream only but find it harder to fund their kids in the university. So far over 100 students belong to the financially less stable strata of society have been awarded scholarships.
All contributions have been made by old boys of NED University of Engineering and Technology of whom many have earned names around the world and have gathered around an alumni platform.
Chief Minister of Sindh Syed Murad Ali Shah, a NEDian too, also joined hands with a fundraising campaign in a local hotel and committed to matching the amount that has been raised by the initiative.
An extraordinary aspect of the campaign is that yet another NEDian Engr. Aftab Rizvi who is married to Balochistan’s first civil engineer has written a book ‘Jinhain Main Ne Dekha’ recalling what he terms the golden period of his {four-year} life and of those whom he has introduced in his work.
Listening to Engr. Rizvi, Syed Murad Ali Shah believes that he said in his address that the alumni of NED, especially those settled abroad doing well in their businesses should contribute more. “We must pay back”, he believed.
The endowment fund was established with seed money of Rs 70 million and so far over 100 students have been awarded scholarships of Rs. 100,000 each per year.
The managers of the fund are eyeing Rs. 500 million and increasing the number of beneficiary students to 750. The Chief Minister and his fellow engineers who feel proud to be NEDian are sure to attain the target.
Shah said that he has been told that the custodians of the fund have a plan to raise the fund to Rs 500 million, thereby increasing the scholarships for over 750 deserving students at the university every year.
Though the ceremony targeted to raise the fund, the issues pertaining to the resolution of engineering issues in society also came forth. Chief Minister and his old-time friends like Dr. Sarosh Lodhi, Vice Chancellor NED University, Engr. Farhat Adil, Chairman, IEP, Engr. Sohail Bashir, Chairman IEP, Karachi Center, and others looked for producing better engineers whose efforts should help Pakistan become a developed country.
Shah said the universities can help governments on development projects as we {Sindh government} can engage public sector universities for consultancy services for which they spend millions of rupees. He said they are working with the universities including Mehran Engineering & Technology University, Jamshoro. We are ready to work with other universities too, he says. — Manzoor Shaikh