“I visited India for the first time in 2003 at the age of 52, the trip was partly a holiday and partly to find my roots. However, it soon turned into a fact finding trip after seeing small children surrounded by pools of stagnant water with mosquitoes. It was the loss in their eyes and the sheer level of poverty in the region which prompted me to set up the H.E.A.T. Foundation in 2005.”
Umar Shariff

Founder & Chief Executive, umarshariff@heatfoundation.org.uk

Want to help?

Your donation of £2 per month will buy a school bag.

Throughout its 18 years the joint efforts of the H.E.A.T. committee and a local charity/school in India and Pakistan, which have successfully improved the lives of 550 of children in Pakistan and India.

Every quarter the H.E.A.T. committee meet and discuss achievements and issues, projects, discuss and agree fundraising ideas and the amount of donations received. The main project Umar and the team focus their attention on the Vaniyambadi, India school Project. H.E.A.T. has contributed greatly to building a brand new school in the poorer area of town where no school existed. In 2011 the school was officially opened to children from the local community and currently educates over 150 boys and girls of all ages. This is a great success to all those who contributed to the charity and H.E.A.T. continues to support the development of the school with the aim of increasing the quality of teaching and the amount of facilities available. 

We are proud to announce that in 2022 the school was converted to an english medium with a new name of VGS – Vaniyambad Global School (which is also known in the community as Very Good School!) This was much needed as the government opened three Urdu medium schools during this period. However VGS remains the only english medium school in the village that the poor  children can access

With have network of  support from close family, friends and colleagues that form the success of charity since it’s  set up in June 2005.

Meet the H.E.A.T Team

Umar Shariff

Umar Shariff

Founder & Chief Executive

“We live in a very special world here where we can just change the channel if we see disturbing images but these poor children have no choice. During my first trip to India and Pakistan I visited certain areas where I could touch, smell and breathe poverty. In 2023 we celebrated our 18th anniversary with over 550 children being educated in four centers with the support of the H.E.A.T. Foundation.”

Rita Smith

Rita Smith

Trustee / Education Advisor

“I am a retired teacher with over 50 years’ experience in education. When I met Umar his passion to help educate poor children was so clear and I soon decided to become a trustee. I would like the children helped by H.E.A.T. to reach the highest standard of education possible. God has given each child a gift and we would like each child to find their gift through education.”

Rameez Khan

Rameez Khan

Trustee

“I became a trustee because we are able to give our children the best of life and education due to the privileged lifestyle we obtained from our parents. If we can give children from poorer backgrounds the same chance as we provide our own, then we are enabling these children to progress, as we have, and give them a better life in the future.”

Adam Zakria

Adam Zakria

Trustee / IT Support

“Having recently become a father, I have found a new appreciation for the importance of children’s education and development, especially those from disadvantaged backgrounds. Every child, irrespective of their background should be provided with the tools and opportunities they need to overcome obstacles and build better futures.”
Imran Arif

Imran Arif

Trustee

Proud dad of a boy and girl and understanding the importance of education at an early age, so I wanted to find a charity to get involved and help poor children get the education they desire, and HEAT Foundation fit the bill and was just up my street.

Meet the H.E.A.T Volunteers

Supporting the trustees behind the scenes are a group of volunteers who organise fundraising events, social media activities and generate donations.
SIRAJ SHARIFF 
SARAH HAWLEY
SOPHIA LEWIS
GRAHAM LEWIS
EJAAZ BEGANI
VICTORIA LESLIE
VALLI BEGANI
BHUSHAN AMODKAR
ROBERT SINGH
LEAH LEWIS
SUFI ABDUL

WHY WE LOVE WHAT WE DO

 

“I would like the children helped by H.E.A.T. to reach the highest standard of education possible. God has given each child a gift and we would like each child to find their gift through education.”

RITA SMITH
Trustee, HEAT Foundation