Our Team
Our dedicated staff work hard to ensure our mission of protecting childhood.
Duaa is the Programme Manager at Cities for Children, based in Islamabad. She has previously worked with the World Bank, UN – IOM, and the Embassies of the US and Japan in Pakistan. Over the last decade, she has successfully spearheaded multiple education and professional exchange programmes, led impactful outreach and advocacy campaigns in remote areas, and administered over 50 training and capacity-building initiatives across Pakistan. Duaa is passionate about creating and promoting sustainable learning and development opportunities for marginalized and underprivileged communities.
Duaa Mujeeb
Pakistan Programme Manager
Madeeha has had experience across the development spectrum, from non-formal schools in urban slums to consultancies with Save the Children and the Malala Fund. She is currently leading on all aspects of organisational development and programme design at Cities for Children. Madeeha completed her Masters as a Fulbright scholar at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Tufts University, and her undergraduate degree at the London School of Economics. Her writing on humanitarian and development issues has been published by leading newspapers in Pakistan, as well as international development and academic blogs.
Madeeha Ansari
Founder/CEO
Asha is the Programme Officer for Cities for Children, based in London. With several years of experience teaching abroad, she has a broad range of experiences in shaping young minds across diverse cultures and backgrounds. Her commitment to education aligns with her passion to promote equality and social justice, as she holds a master’s degree in human rights. A passionate advocate for empowering and educating children, Asha possesses a diverse range of skills and expertise in international development, child safeguarding and ESL instruction, all of which she brings to her role within the programmes.
Asha Verma
UK Programme Officer
Shayan is an education professional with a passion for education, development, and policy. Her journey began with a degree in Bioinformatics, which provided her with a unique perspective on problem-solving and data analysis. As a Teach for Pakistan Fellow, she has worked closely with students, teachers, and communities, gaining insights into the challenges and opportunities in education. She spearheaded a project aiming to develop social and emotional skills in middle school students by introducing extracurricular school clubs across two public schools. She has also worked with the STEAM Policy Unity of the MoFEPT, establishing partnerships, and securing financial support from corporate sponsors and donors.
Shayan Mujeeb
Pakistan Programmes Officer
Syeda Ansa Gardezi is deeply committed to education transformation. She previously served as a Teach for Pakistan Fellow, where she designed impactful initiatives to narrow the achievement gap and improve educational access. She initiated the ‘Tehreer’ project, a student-led literacy magazine, and collaborated with the World Bank to evaluate educational content for the ‘Tehreer’ channel. During her work at PAMS, she played a key role in expanding STEAM programs in government schools, promoting equal educational opportunities. As a science communicator at Science Fuse Pakistan, she ignited STEM interest among underprivileged students, driven by her passion for equitable education.
Syeda Ansa
Pakistan Programmes Officer
Wasfiya brings three years of diverse experience in multimedia journalism, research, and communication. Her work is rooted in social justice, with a strong focus on critical issues such as gender, sustainable development, and public policy. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Social Sciences and Liberal Arts from the Institute of Business Administration, specialising in Media and Communication. Wasfiya’s past roles have made significant contributions to organisations like IBA, TCF, and Aahung. Her writing and research have been featured in the Digital Rights Foundation’s magazine, ‘Digital 50:50,’ and she recently participated in the 2023 LUMS Young Writers Workshop.
Wasfiya Sheikh
Communications and Campaigns Officer
Aunil has an academic background in psychology and more than four years of experience in the education sector, with Teach For Pakistan, Zindagi Trust and The Citizens Foundation. With Cities for Children, he has performed impact evaluation and monitoring of programmes such as the post-flood Temporary Learning Centers (TLCs) in interior Sindh and led on the design and delivery of flagship programmes. He is also involved in creating resources for our anti-corporal punishment activities. He is interested in eliminating the learning gap in under-resourced schools and to maximize their learning, while also representing marginalised voices in the policy sphere.
Aunil Muntazir
Pakistan Programmes Consultant
Mohammad Sajid
Finance Manager
Mah-Noor Ghani
Mah-Noor is an Aziz Foundation scholar currently pursuing her Master’s degree in Sociology of Childhood and Children’s Rights at University College London (UCL). Mah-Noor’s professional journey includes a wealth of experience in education, having worked as a teacher for several years in London, where she assumed leadership roles in curriculum development and safeguarding. Outside of this, she works to protect and support vulnerable children in the wider community through serving as a panel member for a specialist fostering agency. Mah-Noor is passionate about working with and for children, hoping to tackle the barriers many disadvantaged young people face; enabling them to lead successful, fulfilling and independent lives.
Mah-Noor Ghani
Development Intern
Our Board - Pakistan
The Pakistan board members help steer the organisation and its growth.
Usama Khilji
Chair
Maham Ali is a communications specialist based in Islamabad, Pakistan who has been working in the development/education sector for the past 9 years. She started her career as the coordinator of the largest learning festival in Pakistan for children, Children’s Literature Festival and then moved on to the public sector where she worked as a media and PR consultant at PEMRA. Maham is also a founding member of the first interactive and modern Science Centre in Karachi, The Dawood Foundation’s MagnifiScience Centre.
Maham Ali
Director
Rameez Mumtaz
Director
Sara Seerat is the Managing Partner of Mahmood Awan & Partners, Islamabad and a co-founding Senior Partner of Awan Seerat Tirmizi, Lahore. She qualified with an LLB (Hons.) from Queen Mary, University of London in 2009, and was called to the Bar of England and Wales by the Hon’ble Society of Lincoln’s Inn in 2010. She is a member of the Islamabad Bar Association, Islamabad High Court Bar Association, and Inter- Pacific Bar Association. She advises Cities for Children Pakistan on legal and regulatory matters.
Sara Seerat
Director
Our Board - UK
The UK Board of Trustees has helped set the vision and strategy for the organisation and continues to provide specialist support.
Jetske originally supported all aspects in the setting up of Cities for Children in a voluntary capacity, before joining the board in 2019. She is an experienced Programme Manager, having worked in the international development sector on children’s rights programmes at Child to Child, as well as mentoring for women economic empowerment at the Cherie Blair Foundation for Women. She currently works in the Diversity, Equality & Inclusion sector, delivering high quality programmes for and with global clients. She has a Master’s degree in International Relations from the University of Groningen, the Netherlands.
Jetske van Dijk
Chair
Nabeela is the impact investment lead at British International Investments (BII) with nearly two decades of experience in impact investing, development finance and public policy. She is an industry veteran having spent the last decade at BII (formerly CDC group) focussed on investments across Africa, South Asia and MENA. Previously, Nabeela has worked at the global health organisation Gavi Alliance and the UK Prime Minister’s Strategy Unit. She has studied at University of British Columbia (Canada) and the London School of Economics (UK). Her work has been published and cited in various journals. She is a regular media commentator and event speaker.
Nabeela Khan
Treasurer
David is a Social Development specialist, with over 13 years’ research experience in aspects of gender equality, gender-based violence, child protection, and linking evidence to policy processes. He joined Itad in autumn 2017 as a Senior Consultant in the Gender theme. David has a background in Human Geography and Development Studies and has experience in a variety of NGOs and research institutions, including the Overseas Development Institute, Oxfam GB, the Green Economics Institute and others.
David Walker
Trustee
Cléo is the Communications Trustee of Cities for Children. After working for an international development child rights agency. Cléo specialised in developing and delivering communications in the education sector. Today, she works for innovation foundation Nesta to help scale up its Rocket Fund initiative, which is a crowdfunding platform for schools to give children access to educational technology. Cléo is a member of the Chartered Institute of Public Relations, has a Master’s degree in Gender from the University of Warwick and a Master’s degree in Politics and Social Studies from a French Institute of Political Science.
Cleo Fatoorehchi
Communications Trustee
Ali Nur is an evaluator specialising in impact evaluations and action research. With an academic background in development anthropology, Ali has worked in different roles in the international development space. He began this journey working for grassroots organisations advocating for the Right to Education and child rights in Pakistan. Subsequent roles include four years as an evaluation consultant in London before moving into the funder space at Comic Relief and currently at The National Lottery Community Fund. Ali is driven by a mission to shift the power to those at the receiving end of development assistance.
Ali Nabi Nur
Trustee
Our Advisors
We are grateful for the periodic support and mentorship of the following advisors, who we have reached out to when needed.
Yang provides strategic support to the Board in the development of strategies, business plans, and grant proposals. She was previously the Child Protection in Emergencies Specialist for Plan International in the Central African Republic and has also worked for Save the Children in Myanmar supporting their Child Protection and Child Rights Governance programs. Yang holds a Master’s degree from The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University and an undergraduate degree from the University of Toronto. She is currently based in New York City.
Yang Fu
Aneeq is an international development consultant, with vast experience in the health and education sectors in Pakistan and globally. His prior experience includes the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and involvement in health and education reform with the Government of Punjab. Aneeq was also the co-founder of Rabtt, an education non-profit that worked on instilling empathy, critical thinking, and self-confidence among public and low-cost private schools in Pakistan. He is helping us build strategic partnerships to scale up our work.
Aneeq Cheema
