Muhammad Saad Arif Sindhu, 32, is the co-founder and partner at Shamsher & Saad. One of seven children, I grew up in Shahdara Lahore, an underprivileged area in Lahore.

My father worked as an Engineer Supervisor in Pakistan Telecommunications Company Limited (PTCL). Our financial situation was not sound. He used to work very hard to meet the expenses of my siblings’ education and the household.

I went to the Government Boys High School Shahdara which was adopted by CARE Foundation while I was a student there. Our school struggled before adoption. CARE brought many changes to our school including an improved learning environment and a well-equipped computer lab. I was not a shining student at first, but then I became very serious with my education in six grade. I secured 7^th position in 8^th Grade Lahore Board Exams.

CARE offered scholarships to students who wanted to pursue further education. I was interested in the Arts and Architecture and applied for the scholarship program. I received the scholarship to do a Bachelor of Science in Architectural Engineering at the University of Engineering and Technology in Lahore in 2010. I then did a Master’s in project management at Bahria University Lahore Campus in year 2018. If CARE was not there, it would not have been possible to receive the education I did.

One of my sisters was inspired by my academic achievements and did a Master’s in English, then my other elder sister also did a Master’s in Economics from Punjab University. Two of my elder brothers got into the University of Engineering and Technology, one is working as a Mechanical Engineer, and the other is working as a Nuclear Engineer at Pakistan Ministry of Defense.

Since 2014, I’ve been working as a professional in construction project management.

I am a partner and co-founder of a construction management company, Shamsher & Saad, which I set up in January 2022. Prior to that, I worked as a Manager of Civil Works at Saleem Memorial Trust Hospital and before that, Project Manager for Turnkey Projects at a leading architectural firm, SR Designworks in Lahore.

My mother died of cancer in 2014 followed by two serious heart attacks in year 2014. It was a turning point in my life, and I wanted to give something back to society. I wanted to do a Hospital Project to play a role in building a better facility for cancer patients in the vicinity of Lahore. This wish was fulfilled in late 2020 after pandemic when I had the chance to be the project lead at the Saleem Memorial Trust Hospital, which specializes in cancer care.

My father is very proud of what I’ve achieved at such a young age. I’ve been able to raise our living standards as a family. I got married in 2016 to a beautiful wife, and am a father to two children.

I believe that education is the baseline for any kind of progress. When I look back to my childhood, I was  aware of the education crisis in Pakistan; illiteracy rate was below 50% in my area. Not only CARE Foundation helped to raise educational standards for children, but also encouraged parents to send their children to school. I think it should be the primary policy for any government in Pakistan to educate their people in underdeveloped areas equally, because education is the key to success.

I hope my story inspires children who have a similar background as mine and motivate them to work hard. If you’re motivated, committed, and work hard, you will achieve your dreams one day.