WHO WE ARE
A MESSAGE from the CEo
Starfish Pakistan is known for its mission to provide hope and education to the children of Pakistan. It was established in 2003 by a godly couple Mr. and Mrs. Mike Wakely. I am privileged to be part of this God ordained organization from its beginning as one of the board members who helped and guided the work in its early days. I can remember that I was the member of that committee who interviewed the teachers for the first school to which the starfish started financial support. Can you imagine how the Lord blessed this work? From one school with few students, now starfish is helping to 47 schools with more than 11,000 children (mostly Christian) with 5 special homes for orphans and blind girls and mentally special children. It’s continued on the road of growing to fulfil its mission to support fully or in part to educational initiatives.
I take this opportunity to thank our financial and prayer supporters who are the source to see our dreams come true, “The children of our poor and under privileged community get education and become able to combat the discrimination and injustice they are often subjected.”
Let’s join our hands together to educate our community and make our Pakistan a prosperous and peaceful country. May Pakistan live long!
Rev. Dr. Danishmand Wasti
CEO - STARFISH PAKISTAN
THE
STORY
Starfish Pakistan is an establishment that aims to provide the Christian community of Pakistan with equal opportunities and a greater degree of social inclusion via education. The Christian community continues to remain one at the receiving end of discrimination and ostracisation due to the social and religious divide in the country as well as being the target of injustice geared towards minority religious groups. They are among the poorest communities, often seeking employment as laborers, domestic cleaners, street sweepers and sanitary workers. Due to surviving on impossibly low wages, they are often hindered by a lack of educational facilities.
Starfish Pakistan was conceptualized to eradicate this gap in education. The organization came to be as a result of Mike and Kristen Wakely’s vision of establishing a charity with the sole function of meeting the needs of the poor and the underprivileged in Pakistan, which would focus particularly but not exclusively on the Christian community. This was done when a pastor’s call for help after the destruction caused by the 1997 flood led to the rehabilitation of 35 Christian families through funds raised by Tearfund UK. The said funds were used to construct houses and churches. Additional collaboration with Caritas Pakistan helped run Ananias Home for Blind Girls, and with the Fellowship of Christ attempting to help and educate poor Christians, the idea leading to the formal conception of Starfish Pakistan was born. It aimed to generate support given to schools and homes for disadvantaged children, with projects being run by trusted local frontrunners who share the objective of helping and bringing about a positive change in society.
