Foundation

The Zohra and Z. Z. Ahmed Foundation, incorporated in 2008, is AG’s philanthropic arm.

Named after AG cofounder Z. Z. Ahmed (1910-1989), former deputy inspector general of police, and his wife, Zohra (d. 1979), who was awarded a medal for her contributions to Pakistan’s social sector on June 2, 1953, in commemoration of Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation, the Foundation supports, invests in, and empowers initiatives and social organizations for social change.

The Foundation supports education, health, and community development projects and the arts, focusing especially on communities neighboring AG facilities and areas where constructive reinforcement can make all the difference between aspired objectives and material change for the collective good.

Since 2009, the Foundation has adopted a CARE Foundation school in Township, Lahore with an enrolment of some 900 students. Foundation funding has helped upgrade and renovate the school. The Foundation has also established scholarships at colleges and universities in Lahore.

Together with JJVL, the Foundation has set up eye camps in Deh Shah Bukhari and funded the installation of water filtration systems providing clean drinking water to some 100,000 people. The Foundation works closely with communities in Hyderabad district, Sindh, to promote sustainable development.

The Foundation has also supported Asia Society’s 2011 Art of Gandhara exhibition and its 2009 contemporary Pakistani art exhibition, Hanging Fire. It has funded two “Life’s Too Short” short-story competitions as well as the staging of Booker-nominated author Mohammed Hanif’s play, The Dictator’s Wife, in Lahore. The Foundation also provides monthly financial support to the family of the late Pakistani poet Habib Jalib.

The Foundation and AG companies have donated to relief organizations mobilized in the aftermath of Pakistan’s most devastating earthquake, in 2005, and its worst ever floods, in 2010.

In 2005, AG companies supported the Pakistani government’s efforts for the rehabilitation of earthquake survivors by raising funds and donating LPG and LPG stoves through the Pakistan Army at Balakot.

In the aftermath of the 2010 floods, the Foundation supported relief efforts of the federal and Punjab governments, Pakistan Army, Punjab Red Crescent Society, Pakistan Rising and the Indus Foundation. Responding swiftly to the humanitarian and health emergency, the Foundation also set up and ran relief camps and provided rations to those affected by the 2010, 2011, and 2012 floods in Sindh.

The Foundation is chaired by Sadia Ahmed, who works with Shirkat Gah, a nongovernmental organization. All Foundation initiatives are duly approved by its board of directors, who are responsible for identifying areas where Foundation support can make an enduring difference. The audited accounts of the Foundation are provided to various stakeholders on a regular basis to ensure transparency and build confidence in the Foundation’s vision.

Salient Initiatives

  • Funded relief efforts, provided rations, and set up camps for flood affected persons in 2010, 2011, and 2012; provided LPG and LPG stoves through the Pakistan Army at Balakot for those affected by the 2005 earthquake.
  • Renovated the leukemia center at Jinnah Hospital in 2012; renovating an intensive-care unit at Mayo Hospital; and adopted four beds at Shalamar Hospital.
  • Funded construction of roads and brick walling at Qila Gujjar Singh police headquarters, Lahore; donated to families of policemen killed in the line of duty at the Manawan training academy in 2009.
  • The Foundation is supporting operations of CARE Foundation’s boys’ high school in Township, Lahore, the Anwar Memorial Elementary Girls School, Lahore, and the Sindh Development Association’s Government Girls School in Muhammad Khan Bagrani village. It has also provided scholarships at Aitchison College, Beaconhouse University, Government College University, and the National College of Arts University.
  • At the Foundation’s behest, AG’s Newsweek Pakistan provides free promotional space in each issue to charities and social welfare organizations as a public service.

Recipients of Foundation Grants

In the field of education:

  • Aitchison College
  • Anwar Memorial Elementary Girls School
  • Beaconhouse University
  • CARE Foundation
  • Dream Foundation Trust Pakistan
  • Government College University
  • National College of Arts University
  • Sindh Development Association’s Government Girls School, Muhammad Khan Bagrani village
  • SOS Children’s Villages
  • The Citizens Foundation

In the field of health services:

  • Al Shifa Hospital
  • Lahore Mental Health Association’s Fountain House
  • Gulab Devi Chest Hospital
  • Jinnah Hospital
  • King Edward Medical College University
  • LABARD
  • Layton Rahmatulla Benevolent Trust
  • Marie Adelaide Leprosy Center
  • Mayo Hospital
  • Sahara for Life Trust
  • Shalamar Hospital
  • Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital & Research Center

In the social services sector:

  • Aurat Foundation
  • Behbud Association
  • Child Care Foundation of Pakistan
  • Edhi Foundation
  • Human Rights Commission of Pakistan
  • The Indus Foundation
  • Jazba Foundation
  • Pakistan Rising
  • Pakistan Welfare Association of the Blind
  • Punjab Red Crescent Society
  • Rising Sun
  • Sahil

In the field of arts:

  • All Pakistan Music Conference
  • Asia Society
  • Lahore Literary Festival, 2013, 2014

The Pakistan Center for Philanthropy ranked the Foundation as the fourth largest contributor to charity among unlisted companies nationwide for 2012. The awards ceremony was held in Karachi in February 2014.

For more information, comments and suggestions, or proposals for funding, please email foundation@ag.com.pk