About Us

MASS was born out of a passion for helping others, and seeing people present in their wellbeing. MASS is a way to react to the negative influences surrounding people daily, inhibition their progress forward in life. Safirah Bibi envisioned the reality of the solution in proper resource sharing, education, and programs that foster life skills and a functional toolkit to help individuals generate incomes on their own. MASS will provide support to children in Chitral, Pakistan as they struggle to receive adequate education and resources. In addition, MASS will offer youth the necessary tools to be able to attend top-tier schools and will help schools in Pakistan develop structures to enable them to build a viable economy, create sustainable growth, and develop opportunities by providing an educational program that will meet the needs of all students.

Meet the Board

Safirah Bibi

Safirah Bibi

President

Safirah Bibi is a founder and President of MASS. As a social activist, her work for promoting children’s education spans over 2 decades. She has a Master’s degree in Women and Gender Studies from Karachi University, Pakistan and a Post Baccalaureate in Gender and Globalization from University of California, Davis. She has worked with Aga Khan Education Service Pakistan as a science teacher and with the Women and Gender Development Sector in Aga Khan Rural Support Program in Chitral, Pakistan.

Safirah was born in Chitral, Pakistan and grew up in the remote, mountainous area and recalls her 4 hour-roundtrip on foot to the only school with her friends. She was the only girl from her small village, Awi, who was able to attend college. It was only possible with her family selling a piece of land to support her education. Her friends were not able to pursue their dreams to continue their education beyond 10th grade due to lack of financial support. That left a lasting impact on Safirah and she promised herself to help deserving youth achieve their dreams of attaining education. Her dream came true when she moved to the US in 2008 and with a job at UC Davis, she started supporting 10 underprivileged children in Chitral from her personal resources to achieve excellence in their education. She founded MASS in 2021 with a vision to provide educational opportunities to the children of Chitral. Safirah has two beautiful children and loves photography and spending her time outdoors close to nature.

Ambreen Lakhani

Ambreen Lakhani

General Secretary

Ambreen is a creative, passionate, strategic, get things done person who can deliver results regardless of the odds. Born in Karachi, Pakistan and immigrating to Canada under difficult family situations taught Ambreen the value of compassionate help and support. An artist at heart, she sings, paints, and creates, creating a unique coupling of artistic execution that defies the imagination. Ambreen has been involved with many volunteer organizations throughout her life, getting much satisfaction in giving back to others. As a founding member of MASS, Ambreen hopes to enable richer and self-sufficient lives for others. In a professional context, she brings her talents to large technology companies in delivering transformational initiatives across the organization. Ambreen is an adventurer, enjoys traveling and learning about different cultures, cuisines, and context to understand the why of life.

Sharmeen Fazal Lalani

Sharmeen Fazal Lalani

Director / Marketing

Sharmeen is a masterful storyteller, marketer and thought leader who is passionate about creating value in every interaction. Her own journey of growing up in Karachi, Pakistan and later immigrating with her family to the US has made her appreciate the impact a good quality education has on not just an individual but the well-being of the community at large. Her advocacy work in providing life skills and mentorship to under-resourced schools in the local community has awarded her to foster a love of learning and scholarship for youths. She continues to volunteer in a number of initiatives from early childhood education development to managing summer camps for young children to leading women’s impact initiatives and organizing parental involvement programs in her community. As one of the founders of MASS, Sharmeen hopes to inspire others to invest their time and resources into creating a better future to provide educational opportunities for deserving youths. Sharmeen loves to travel with her family. On most Friday nights, you can find her cheering her son playing high school football!

Malik Kheraj

Malik Kheraj

Director / Education

Malik is a senior consultant at Kaiser Permanente. Previously, he has worked internationally building and improving educational and healthcare operations across East Africa and Central Asia. Additionally, he has co-founded an educational non-profit within East Africa focusing on improving the quality of life across the most challenged regions. He continues to serve as an advisor to nonprofits within Africa. Malik received his Bachelors in Economics from UCLA – University of California, Los Angeles.

Meet the Team

Razia Zulfii

Razia Zulfii

Irshad Ali

Irshad Ali

Director of MASS team in Chitral

Atta Hussain Attar

Atta Hussain Attar

Syeda Sarwat Saeed

Syeda Sarwat Saeed

Aftab Ahmad

Aftab Ahmad

Sher Afgan

Sher Afgan

Syeda Nighat Parveen

Syeda Night Parveen

Abdul Wahid Khan

Abdu Wahid Khan

Sufia Afsar

Sufia Afsar

Nahida Hassan

Nahida Hassan

Sheyhan Lelani

Sheyhan Lalani

Website Designer

Nurulhuda Naftali

Nurulhuda Yaftali