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February 2012
Dear Friends, It is with GREAT joy and thanksgiving to report to you that earlier this year, we received the funding needed to begin building our Vocational Training Centre! This wonderful development was made possible by a generous Rs8.6 million grant from the government of Japan. Starfish Karachi expresses its heartfelt gratitude to the Japanese government for its support and commitment to the vocational future of the Karachi community. We praise God for letting us see this dream become a soon-to-be reality. Continue to pray for everything involved towards the completion of the VTC, for those who will benefit from it, and for God’s glory to be made known in it all. In Him, Starfish Karachi and the Holy Shepherd Grammar School |
Help us build our Vocational Training Centre!
We know how much difference the good schooling provided at Holy Shepherd Grammar School makes to the poor Christian children of Mianwali colony. Many of our children have gained the Matric qualification, some have gone on to higher education, many have found jobs. But yet we remain frustrated how much youth unemployment persists, and many of our graduates even with a good Matric qualification will still find it hard to get a good job.
So, Starfish Karachi is planning to open a Vocational Training Centre on the Holy Shepherd site, both for our own graduates and for many others in the local community. In all, the Centre aims to provide over 200 students a year with a government-recognised vocational diploma or certificate, that will make a huge difference in helping them find jobs, for the uplift of the whole community.
For more about the proposal, please see below. Consider how you could support our plan through prayer or a small financial gift. Any amount will make a big difference to the lives of the poor and disadvantaged of Mianwali, and we thank you for it!
Context and background
Mianwali colony is a poor community of more than 15,000 people on the outskirts of Karachi, a metropolis of over 16 million people. Typically, men have jobs as road-sweepers or day-labourers, and average household incomes are around 8,000 rupees for a family of 5-6 people (less than $1 per person per day). Many people are in debt to moneylenders (charging >100% interest) or shopkeepers, and have accrued debts equal to many months worth of salary which they cannot possibly repay on their subsistence incomes. Literacy levels are low (primary school attendance is around 50%), and health and sanitation are generally poor. A quarter of the community are Christian, and are amongst the poorest, and often suffer from discrimination as a religious minority, especially with regards to accessing education and employment.
Proposal
As a response to the issues of literacy and education, Starfish Karachi has been running a school (Holy Shepherd Grammar School) in the Christian community since 2001, teaching 535 students up to Matric level (basic education), and sponsoring several students into higher education. However, beyond basic education, job prospects and access to higher education are very difficult, and therefore, Starfish Karachi proposes to set-up and operate a Vocational Training Centre (VTC) both for graduating students of the school, and for the wider community.
The VTC will provide short and one-year full-time courses in recognized Government diplomas and certificates in the subjects of Electrician, Auto mechanic, Computer Hardware, Computer Software, Beautician, Sewing, and Teacher Training. The courses will be run in 2 shifts in 7 dedicated rooms, allowing more than 200 students per year to receive training. The centre will be open to people regardless of their faith background, and will train both men and women.
Plan
The first phase of the site will be developed over 4 months from March to July 2010 on land already owned by Starfish Karachi, to be ready for some rooms to open in August 2010. A second phase will complete the construction by December 2010.
The courses will be taught by several graduates from the Holy Shepherd School who are currently being sponsored through Government colleges, and this will be supplemented by locally trained teachers (for Beautician and Sewing courses).
The development of the VTC will require Rs 8.5 m ($106,000 or £63,000), including all construction, training machines, and materials. The VTC will need a small subsidy over the first few years (approximately Rs 40,000 / $500 / £300 per month), but is planning for self-sustainability within 3-5 years. Details of the financials can be found as an appendix.
Impact
The VTC will create over 200 trained and motivated young people every year, able to find employment (additionally through the provision of employment advice) or start their own small business (through a tie-up with a local micro-finance provider for small-scale loans). The impact on the community where good jobs are scarce will be incalculable. Families will be able to send their children to school, pay off debt to moneylenders, get access to healthcare, improve their housing, and provide a general uplift to the community.
Conclusion
Starfish Karachi is working to generate hope and improve the lives of the poor and broken in Mianwali, Karachi. Will you partner with us to see lives and communities transformed? We are looking for partners who will invest in the development of this centre to impact this poor community, and hundreds and thousands of lives. We will keep you regularly updated of construction progress, and you will receive our regular Starfish Asia update newsletters to help you keep up-to-date with our journey on impacting the poor in Mianwali. In addition, we can connect you with individual students to understand first-hand the impact that the centre will have in the lives of students and their families.
Thank you. We are excited about the journey ahead, and we hope that you will join with us on this work to improve the lives of the poor and broken.
Starfish Karachi is looking to raise Rs 8.5m (£65k, $100k) for the set-up costs, and Rs 0.5m (£3700, $6000) to support the first year of operations, after which it will be financially self-sufficient.
Set-up costs
| Item | Cost in PKR (rupees) | Cost in GBP (pounds) | Cost in USD (dollars) |
| Building costs | Rs. 4,916,889 | £ 37,822 | $ 61,461 |
| Tools, plant, and construction management fees | Rs. 1,475,067 | £ 11,347 | $ 18,438 |
| Design fees | Rs. 383,517 | £ 2,950 | $ 4,794 |
| Contingency | Rs. 677,547 | £ 5,212 | $ 8,469 |
| Machinery and equipment | Rs. 1,000,000 | £ 7,692 | $ 12,500 |
| Government registration | Rs. 50,000 | £ 385 | $ 625 |
| TOTAL COSTS | Rs. 8,503,020 | £ 65,408 | $ 106,288 |
Monthly Income Year 1 (for monthly running expenses)
| Proposal | Total amt in PKR (rupees) |
Total amt in GBP (pounds) |
Total amt in USD (dollars) |
Notes |
| Admission fees | Rs. 17,500 | £ 135 | $ 219 | Rs. 1000 annual per student |
| Monthly fees | Rs. 73,500 | £ 565 | $ 919 | Rs. 350 monthly |
| Supporters | Rs. 40,000 | £ 308 | $ 500 | 20 supporters each contributing Rs. 2000 monthly |
| Total Monthly Income Required | Rs. 131,000 | £ 1008 | $ 1,638 | |
| Monthly Income Required From Student | Rs. 433 | £ 3.33 | $ 5.42 |
Monthly Income Year 2 (for monthly running expenses)
| Proposal | Total amt in PKR (rupees) |
Total amt in GBP (pounds) |
Total amt in USD (dollars) |
Notes |
| Admission fees | Rs. 26,250 | £ 202 | $ 328 | Rs. 1500 annual per student |
| Monthly fees | Rs. 105,500 | £ 808 | $ 1,313 | Rs. 500 monthly |
| Supporters | — | — | — | No longer required |
| Total Monthly Income Required |
Rs. 131,250 | £ 1,010 | $ 1,641 | |
| Monthly Income Required From Student | Rs. 625 | £ 7.81 | $ 4.81 |
NOTE: Fees have been set deliberately low in Year 1 to attract a full set of students in the initial year of operation. As the reputation of the VTC grows, fees can be increased to sustainable levels. As a comparison, Government college costs around Rs.1500 per month (including travel costs), and a private college more than Rs.5000 per month, so raising fees over 2-3 years to reach sustainability should pose little problem.
Expenses
| Fixed Costs | Cost in PKR (rupees) |
Cost in GBP (pounds) |
Cost in USD (dollars) |
Notes |
| Teacher salaries | Rs. 49,000 | £ 377 | $ 613 | Matching existing school salary scheme (intend to increase as fees increase) |
| Teacher training subsidy | — | — | — | 50% subsidy for teachers accessing further training (3900 annual, 100 monthly) |
| Administrator | Rs. 7,000 | £ 54 | $ 88 | Administrator plus stationary, etc. |
| Water costs | Rs. 1,083 | £ 8 | $ 14 | Expected at 50% of current school bill |
| Electricity | Rs. 3,000 | £ 21 | $ 38 | Based on current school bill |
| Diesel (for generator) | Rs. 9,100 | £ 65 | $ 114 | On 50% of time, using 1 can of diesel per 2 days |
| Share of school overheads | — | — | — | Waved because school benefits from use of rooms/equipment in the evenings |
| Government fees | Rs. 2,083 | £ 15 | $ 26 | |
| Replacement equipment | Rs. 12,500 | £ 96 | $ 156 | 15% of equip set-up |
| Student Costs | ||||
| Materials | Rs. 10,500 | £ 81 | $ 131 | Rs.50 per student per month |
| Exam fees | Rs. 35,000 | £ 269 | $ 438 | Rs.2000 per student per year |
| Total Monthly Expenses | Rs. 129,267 | £ 994 | $ 1,616 | |
| Cost per student | Rs. 616 | £ 4.74 | $ 7.69 |
Downloadable documents:
Estimate of Construction of the Vocational Training Centre (15 KB, PDF)
Starfish Karachi Vocational Training Centre Proposal vII (220 KB, PDF)
Holy Shepherd Grammar School 
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