Help Yasir Get to Grad School

Friends, I'm raising funds to help a young man from my hometown of Karachi continue his education at Vanderbilt University. Here's his remarkable story.

Yasir Salim grew up in Ibrahim Goth, an urban slum on the outskirts of Karachi, and is an alumnus of the nonprofit school system, The Citizens Foundation. His family migrated from rural Sindh, where it had been locked into bonded labor for generations. Yasir's father made the decision to break free of bondage and move his wife and five young children to the city in search of a better life. 

In Ibrahim Goth, Yasir's father found work in a wire factory making less than $2 a day. Yasir helped out at home until TCF opened a school for children in the slum. Yasir's parents admitted him and his siblings in school, but struggled to make ends meet. So as soon as he turned 10, like many children in his neighborhood, Yasir began working at a towel factory to help out.

This was 10-year old Yasir's schedule: Every weekday, he got to school at 8 AM, returned home in the afternoon to rest, and then went to work at 7 pm. He worked 12 hour shifts, returning home at 7 am to get ready for school again. Yasir made Rs. 120 for every shift, which is less than $1. He told me it was the most difficult period of his life, not just because of the long hours, but also due to the physical and verbal abuse he and other children suffered at the hands of older factory workers.

Yasir soldiered on this way until he graduated school with flying colors, which secured him a 100% merit scholarship to Habib University in Karachi. Today, he has a BS in computer science and works with a tech firm. Yasir is incredibly grateful for how far he has come , and to pay back his debt, he has helped set up a free library at his local mosque (pictured). He also regularly mentors other students in his community.

Yasir's story doesn't end there. He's always dreamed of continuing his education, and this year, he applied to Vanderbilt University in Nashville . His goal was to get a Masters in Data Sciences, and Vanderbilt offered his ideal program.

To his delight, Yasir got accepted for the Fall of 2021. However, the Data Sciences graduate program at Vanderbilt has a policy of not offering financial aid or scholarships to International students, which makes it impossible for students like him to attend. While he would be eligible to apply for financial aid in his second semester, as well as for graduate research and teaching assistantship -- he certainly cannot afford the $80,042 bill for the first year's admission, tuition, and lodging fees.

Yasir has exhausted all avenues for help, including reaching out to Pakistani Vanderbilt alumni and the Financial Aid office. He is also not asking for a handout.  He is in fact willing to work full time throughout his education to help pay off his debt, but he needs to actually get there first to do so.

Yasir says he wants to do this not just for himself, but for all the kids in Ibrahim Goth whom he mentors. He wants to show them that they too have the right to want a world class education, regardless of where they were born and how much they can pay.  So let's help get Yasir there! He's earned it.