Our history

A dream realised

Our co-founders had a vision for communities in northern Pakistan

Aaghaz Welfare Trust (AWT) was the brainchild of the late Dr Anita Qureshi (1956–2021) who completed her MBBS in 1983 from Sind Medical College, Karachi. Along with her husband Dr. Agha Tariq Sajjad, also an MBBS from Sind Medical College, Karachi, she had an aim to fight disease, illiteracy, and poverty in Pakistan.
During her lifetime, the husband-and-wife team arranged for free and subsidised cardiac surgeries, general surgeries, and other medical treatments, as well as vaccination programs and ran a subsidised general practice.
They also engaged in humanitarian activities, such as providing interest-free micro-credit, monthly groceries for vulnerable members of society, repeat prescriptions for those suffering from chronic illnesses such as diabetes and hypertension, school and college fees for needy students, and urgent responses to emergency relief efforts.
Aaghaz Welfare Trust started its operations in September 2002, under the name Suffah Welfare Centre. In April 2004 the organization was registered as Aaghaz Welfare Trust under the Trust Act of Pakistan. The devastating loss of Dr. Anita in 2021 led to their clinic being renamed the Dr Anita Qureshi Memorial Welfare Clinic, where Dr Tariq honours his beloved, much-missed, late wife by continuing to deliver on her mission to help the sick and poor. You can see the latest campaigns by AWT on our Facebook page.
The funds for running the trust are exclusively generated through generous private donors and through For-Profit organizations who donate funds to AWT. Please consider joining them.