ISLAMABAD-In a ceremony held at Islamabad, Bestway Foundation and NAMAL University signed an agreement to establish Bestway Scholarship Endowment Fund of Rs 60 million for the benefit of financially challenged students enrolled at the University’s undergraduate programMEs. The scholarships will be given to 20 student beneficiaries, primarily covering their fee expenses every year. Speaking on the occasion, Irfan Sheikh, Trustee Bestway Foundation and Managing Director, Bestway Cement Limited said, “Higher education is essential for building a stronger Pakistan, whereas many talented and well deserving youth is unable to continue their education due to lack of sufficient financial resources. Bestway Foundation, in keeping with its resolve to support deserving students, decided to set up an endowment fund with NAMAL to provide financial assistance to the students applying in undergraduate degree programme in either of the disciplines of Computer Sciences, Electrical Engineering, Mathematics and BBA. The Foundation has already established similar endowment funds with Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS) and National University of Sciences & Technology (NUST)”. Bestway Foundation, established in 1987 in the UK and later in 1997 in Pakistan, is the philanthropic arm of Bestway Group UK. To date Bestway has contributed more than $47 million to fund the charitable activities of national and international societies and support projects of communal uplift in the countries in which it operates. It is certified from the Pakistan Centre for Philanthropy and ranks amongst the top 10 companies of Pakistan by volume of donations.
Bestway Foundation plays an active part in the socio-economic development of local communities such as provision of quality education to deserving, improving access to health services, taking part in urban development, environmental conservation programs and helping generate employment.
Since its establishment, the Foundation has provided scholarships to over 500 students to pursue higher studies home and abroad primarily in the UK, USA and Canada. Bestway is also offering 12 fully funded scholarships every year for deserving and talented Pakistani students in the Oxford University, University of Bradford and University of Kent in the UK.
In addition to being a significant donor to various educational and health institutions in Pakistan, the Foundation also provides financial assistance to a large number of widows and indigents in the local communities in which it operates, in the form of monthly stipends. Bestway Foundation also provides free medical facilities to more than 35,000 patients in its local communities annually through the medical units located at all of Bestway Cement’s factories.