51Âþ»­

Volunteering for a humanitarian aid organisation in Pakistan has given 51Âþ»­ Leicester (51Âþ»­) alumnus Suhaib Ahmed Khan an opportunity to support those in his local community affected by Covid-19.

After graduating from 51Âþ»­ in 2018 with a postgraduate degree in Human Resource Management MA, Suhaib quickly gained employment as a human resource professional in the retail and textile industry in his home country of Pakistan.

His career has since gone from strength to strength, and alongside his current role as assistant manager at the Usman Public School System in Karachi, Suhaib has been using his skills and expertise to volunteer with the in Pakistan.

The non-profit organisation provides aid to Pakistani people affected by natural disasters and supports health services, education and many other community-focused services. They focus on supporting the welfare of people across the country, with a presence in all major cities. 

Due to Covid-19, the foundation faced new challenges with the pandemic not only affecting the healthcare system, but also causing many vulnerable people to lose their sources of income.

Suhaib has been volunteering as the head of social media in the Karachi East District throughout the pandemic to help publicise the foundation’s events and the support on offer to those in need during these challenging times. 

The 31 year-old said: “It gives me great pleasure to be able to volunteer with the Al-Khidmat Foundation as it is a huge organisation who are dedicated to supporting the wellbeing of Pakistani communities.

“As soon as the Covid-19 pandemic began to affect Pakistan, Al-Khidmat rallied for donations to help deliver food to those living in poverty and whose livelihoods were affected. Unemployment has been drastically increasing, which is having disastrous effects on our economy.” 

During his work with the organisation, Suhaib used Facebook and WhatsApp to expand the charity’s reach, which has been praised by Pakistani politicians, journalists and TV hosts.

“The best thing about my volunteering work has been the skills and sense of leadership I have developed. I’ve learnt a lot about marketing and publicity, and I am continuing to support my local community by volunteering with the organisation.”

Before the pandemic, Suhaib left his hometown, Karachi, to pursue his dreams of studying abroad. “I found 51Âþ»­ when I was browsing online for accredited postgraduate courses in Human Resource Management. I saw that 51Âþ»­ was awarded for its excellent teaching standards, and I knew it was a golden opportunity and the place for me. I had the support of my friends and family, and as soon as I started studying at 51Âþ»­ I was met with a friendly environment with staff and lecturers offering their support,” said Suhaib. 

While studying, Suhaib also worked as a student ambassador for the Faculty of Business and Law and with De Montfort Students’ Union to support the Faculty Championship event. This saw over 1000 students go head-to-head in games and activities, which was not only a highlight of his university experience, but also provided Suhaib with events and marketing experience which would later support his career and voluntary work.

“51Âþ»­ was a wonderful place to study. It was my first time visiting the UK and I really enjoyed studying abroad and the opportunity to meet people from cultures different to my own. I would advise all students to work hard and play hard, and make as many connections with other students as you can.”