Hansa Masih & Khursheed
BR IC I Bringing change through education
Hansa Masih was born to a farmer family in the village Chah Tamoli District Lahore, he lost both his parents in childhood and was brought up by his relatives. Being an orphan child he, along with his other siblings, was deceived and was not given anything from family’s possessions.
He was about seventeen when he was trapped into becoming a bonded slave at a brick kiln. He was married to Khursheed in 1967. They were blessed with four sons and three daughters. Passing through difficult situations and poverty even then they were able to provide the opportunity of basic education to their child-So all children were given facility of Schooling and were able to read and write.
It has been a blessing for BRIC that this couple became a supporter at a very initial stage and their prayers, care, and cooperation led the first brick for the foundation for this organization which has entered into the 20th year of struggle and achievement. Hansa Masih died in 2005 but we all in BRIC remember his efforts and we pray that his soul may rest in peace.
Jeevan Javed Gill & Zeenat
Jeevan Javed Gill & Zeenat have been brick kiln workers since they were a young couple. Being devout Christians they have been teaching their co-workers. Their hard work in this regard made many people start believing in God. 0. In 1995 their cooperation became a way forward for opening the School at a brick kiln colony where the founders of BRIC got the opportunity to start education and later on these former slave children got the initiative of establishing the movement for the education of the poor children.
We at BRIC are thankful to this couple for supporting us at a time when it was most needed. Care and interest are some of the important help anyone could offer and this couple has been cooperating with all resources since the initial days in 1997. Their involvement and kindness with BRIC continue to this date.
Sir Asghar Ali
Mr. Asghar All was as kindhearted as it gets. He started supporting BRIC in 1997 when it was just beginning its mission of education and welfare for the people living below the poverty line.
The first-ever gifts in form of books for children of poor brick kiln workers was given by him. He provided books and stationery for 70 children in BRIC’s first School at Hamza bricks kiln village Teba Samad in District Lahore.
He passed away in 2004 owing to a severe heart attack. His death came as a huge shock for all of us at BRIC. His kindness, care and cooperation will always stay with us and we are committed to the mission honoring his life by helping the poor.
Syed Anwar Ali Shah
Syed Anwar All Shah joined the Education Department in 1983 and was pro-moted as LC (learning Coordinator) in 1985. He was given another promotion and was appointed as AEO (Administrative Education Officer) to grade 16 in 2007. In 2012 he was promoted to grade 17 and started to work as DTE (District Teaching Educator). He was awarded an even higher post in 2013 when he was appointed the Head Master in Government Middle School Bath, Lahore.
He has been passionately serving in academia as he believes that education _ can empower the poor and it is a pivotal tool to fight poverty and injustice. His vision is that everyone should have access to education and the financial situation of the parents should not be a hindrance for the children in going to school and he believes that education should be at the doorstep for every child.
Syed Anwar Ali Shah started supporting ERIC in1998 and he has been supporting BRIC’s all projects for all these years. He has been arranging training workshops for the teachers in BRIC Schools in brick kilns, rural areas, and small villages. He looks forward to continuing his guidance, care, and support for BRIC’s projects.
Muhammad Baqir Ali
Prof Muhammad Baqir Ali was introduced to BRIC at F C College Lahore where he teaches Economics. BRIC’s founder Liaqat was one of his students. His method of teaching was different as he liked to develop critical thinking hu-manism and intellectual development among his students.
He used to raise open discussions on different politico-economic and social issues in the class to help students in positive and constructive thinking and clarity of understanding. To internalize the plight of the down-trodden and their rampant exploitation in society. As Liaqat himself was a bonded labor and had the urge to bring the unfortunate out of slavery and so he was convinced that this was possible through education only. He wanted to create awareness and enlightenment among students so that they could fight against every kind of exploitation and injustice and ensure freedom by breaking shackles of poverty and ignorance.
To materialize this dream Prof Baqir happily provided his support and guidance in setting up goals at BRIC. Baqir is one of our patrons and is still very actively lending his services to change the fate of bonded labor through education.
M.M. Siddique
M.M.Siddique was one of the renowned lawyers of Lahore city, serving most business firms and welfare organizations. In a country like Pakistan, he knew education was the only way for the lower class to make a difference for the betterment of their own lives and the progress of the country. That’s why when BRIC was founded with limited resources and less manpower, he not only appreciated the initiative and the dream behind it but also offered his services voluntarily. He always treated BRIC and its members like his children.
He remained connected to BRIC till the end of his days and represented ERIC in ernment sector. He never let BRIC face any legal issues, executed his duties with full dedication and truly stood by the initiative in hard times. Mr Siddique passed away on 11th September 2011. BRIC will always remember him and his services.
Muhammad Ashraf Qamar
We being the legal Advisors and Auditors of the BRIC Pakistan found that it is established for educational, health, charitable, welfare, development purpose and especially for the promotion of workers and rural communities.
BRIC is envisioned as an NGO in the form of a PUBLIC TRUST, meant for Education, Health & Relief Activities for the poor people in Pakistan, who will be the beneficiaries. It is agonizing to see that poor workers suffer due to lack of resources and its founder took practical steps and got involved in philanthropy since the day he started earning and has been able to help hundreds of poor, marginalized, and desperate families which are passing lives below the poverty line.
However single-handedly without a setup, it was difficult to provide relief on a large scale and especially in the realm of the much-needed education and health services. There are sprawling villages and hamlets, even in Punjab, which have absolutely no access to even the most basic and rudimentary education and health facilities.
BRIC is an initiative and endeavor, born out of empathy, to help the absolutely helpless; to provide refuge and relief to the laborers of Bric Kilns who need it most. And hopes to get contributions from all those willing to help rather than hankering for more worldly possessions. I wish the best of luck to all team and people associated with BRIC and my good wishes are with them and I do hope this mission will continue with the grace of GOD.
Shazia Shaheen
Ms. Shazia Shaheen, a development professional works with Strengthening Participatory Organization (SPO). She is serving as Head of Programme at one of Pakistan’s largest and well-known development sector organizations. Her professional experience of working in the development sector spans more than 15 years that equipped her with enormous dexterity encompasses designing and developing; managing and implementing various multidimensional programs with a thematic focus on democratic ethos & good governance, rule of law, and access to justice; right based and advocacy projects on sexual and reproductive health rights of women and adolescents; violence against women and mi-and minorities with an overarching spotlight on ethnic, linguistic, sexual, indigenous and religious minorities.
Her experience over the years enriched her understanding of diverse communities from remotest-ends of northern areas to farthest southern corners of Pakistan and fortified her knowledge of micro-level subjects to macro questions that enhanced her vision of linking the issues from delivery to governance to prioritization and from real appropriation at policy level to respond mechanism of state apparatus. By virtue of leadership positions while managing national-level projects and continuous presence in mainstream civil society forums, lead her to closely coordinate with legislatures, Government Departments, Provincial and National Commissions on Women and Human Rights and provided her opportunities to contribute at the policy and legislative level through consultations, dialogues and roundtable discussions. She has also been serving as a notified member by the Chief Minister of Punjab from 2013 to 2015 of the Provincial Committee formed for legislation of Domestic Violence Bill, Punjab.
She has been supporting BRIC since she happened to know about BRICs commendable work for most marginalized communities of Pakistan. BRIC works with more vulnerable segments of society and putting their honest efforts to alleviate them from the nexus of poverty and bonded labor. Their ef-forts for brick kiln workers and imparting education to their children are appreciable. They must continue their work get support on humanitarian grounds for the uplift of the most marginalized and vulnerable people in Pakistan. All team in BRIC Pakistan believes that she has been a great help and support for all operations and projects
Amjad Nawaz Warraich
Amjad Warraich is an anchor, columnist, teacher, and Rotarian (Member of Rotary). He has been teaching Pakistan Studies in Forman’s Christian College, Lahore, where he came across a student named Liaqat Javed in 2002.
When Mr. Warraich was told that Liaqat is the son of a brick kiln worker and he has been itself bonded laborer & slave child and as Liaqat was the first-ever of the brick kiln workers’ community who had reached college and was striving hard for the education and welfare of the marginalized children and their parents along with studying his graduation, these efforts and hardworking for uplifting to the poor were amazing and it inspired Mr. Warraich deeply and as he was the president of Rotary Club of Lahore, Mozang, he interestingly agreed to support BRIC for the empowerment of the community through the literacy development program. BRIC was able to run 14 literacy centers consisting of 800 children at the brick kiln colonies.
As a result of the care and guidance of Mr. Warraich BRIC was registered under the Societies Registration Act in 2003. It has been a blessing that Mr. Amjad Warraich has been a profound supporter of BRIC and he always keeps the team actively dynamic with his kind guidance and enlightened vision.
Tahir Manzoor
Tahir Manzoor is one of the directors of Silver Sand Paints Limited, an ISO 9001, and takes great pride in being one of the leading paint manufacturers in the paint industry in Pakistan. The Silver Sand Paints are high-performance polyurethane topcoats that provide outstanding colorfastness.
He has been the president of the Rotary Club of Lahore, Mozang, and is a permanent Rotarian and very active in social projects for the uplift of the poor and deserving segments of society. He has been a warm-hearted volunteer in all campaigns run by the Rotary Club for the welfare of the country.
He has been supporting BRIC projects since 2003 and has been visiting the Schools, participating in educational training and other activities. He is the key person who started to support creative learning in BRIC Schools.
Asma Jehangeer
Born and raised in Lahore, Jahangir studied at the Convent of Jesus and Mary before receiving her B.A. from Kinnaird College and LLB from the Punjab University in 1978. In 1980, she was called to the Lahore High Court, and to the Supreme Court in 1982.
In the 1980s, Jahangir became a democracy activist and was imprisoned in 1983 for participating in the Movement for the Restoration of Democracy against the military regime. She moved to Geneva, in 1986, and became the vice-chair of the Defence for Children International. In 1988 when she returned to Pakistan, She co-founded the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan and became its Secretary-General until 1993 when she was elevated as commission’s chairperson.
After serving as one of the leaders of the Lawyers’ Movement, she became Pakistan’s first woman to serve as the President of the Supreme Court Bar Association. She co-chaired South Asia Forum for Human Rights and was the vice president of the International Federation for Human Rights. She was a strong voice of the bonded workers and slaves at the brick kilns in Pakistan. She had been a strong supporter of BRIC and appreciated BRIC’s initiatives for the education of poor children and awareness programs about human rights.
Kamran Michael
Mr. Michael started his political career in 2001, he was elected as a union council member and he was elected as a Member of the Lahore District Council. Michael was elected as a member of the Provincial Assembly of Punjab in 2002. He was elected member of the Senate of Pakistan in 2012, He was the first Senator for the minorities. In July 2016 he was appointed The Minister for Human Rights. Since the initial period of his political career, he has been a passionate and committed human rights defender and has been a dynamic advocate for the welfare and development of the poor workers in general and the minority’s rights specifically.
His care and love for the workers’ rights have been highly appreciated. His guidance and cooperation with BRIC have been a way forward for the education and welfare of hundreds and thousands of children, youth, and workers.
Suhail Warraich
Suhail Warraich is a prominent anchorperson, journalist, and media personality. He graduated in English Literature from the University of Punjab and began his career in journalism through print media in 1985. Since the very inception of GEO TV, Suhail Warraich has been affiliated with the channel. His interview-based TV show ‘Ek Din Geo k Sath’ became the highlight of his career and opened the gateways of fame for him. He is regarded as one of the most decent journalists and anchorperson of his time because of his modest attitude and simple nature.
In January 2017, he joined Dunya News as the Executive Director of the channel and assumed the responsibility of Editor in Roznama Dunya. He is undoubtedly a highly accomplished journalist of the Pakistani Media Industry but his talent is not limited to journalism alone. In fact, Suhail is also a published author of two books – `Ghaddar Koun’ and `Qaatil Koun’.
Along with his media responsibilities, Suhail is also an active supporter of social work and has been associated with the BRIC foundation since the very start. He met the founders of BRIC in 1998 and visited a School that opened at a brick kiln which led him to become committed to the mission of BRIC.
