The Thar Foundation, which is the corporate social responsibility (CSR) wing of Thar Block II entities, has been recognised for its contributions to community enhancement that has helped uplift the lives of people of Thar.
Recently, the Thar Foundation was honoured at the 17th Annual Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Summit and Awards organised by the National Forum for Environment and Health (NFEH) in five categories of CSR Initiatives.
Sharing his thoughts on this honour, Amir Iqbal, Sindh Engro Coal Mining Company (SECMC) and Thar Foundation chief executive officer, stated: “For over a decade, we have been driven by a clear purpose of strengthening Pakistan’s energy security, while enhancing Thari communities through impactful initiatives in health, education, livelihoods and women empowerment. It is heartening to witness the transformation unfolding in Thar, and we remain committed to playing our humble role in uplifting future generations of Tharis.”
Through education and vocational training programmes, the Thar Foundation aims to empower local talent to contribute to the region’s socioeconomic progress. Around 2,350 Tharis are employed in jobs generated by the SECMC in Thar Block II. The foundation has established 28 school units that are imparting quality education to over 5,000 students, with 35 per cent female enrolment.
Additionally, over 2,000 individuals have received vocational training in areas such as solarisation, PV technology, welding and hospitality, further enhancing community livelihoods. To promote quality health care, the Thar Foundation has set up five advanced medical facilities and three mobile health units, delivering essential services free of charge to over 300,000 patients since inception.
It has also installed 22 reverse osmosis (RO) plants across Thar Block II and surrounding areas, supplying approximately 825,000 gallons of clean drinking water to the community each month.
To ensure uninterrupted power supply to villages and settlements across the Thar Block II and Gorano area, the Thar Foundation initiated the Village Electrification Project (VEP) for the first-ever installation of solar systems in the area. Under this project, almost complete solarisation of 15 villages and settlements with 3,150 households has been achieved.