Vocational Training
Street-connected children have access to skill training, inclusive social protection, and lives free of poverty
Empowering Street-Connected Child & Youth through Culinary Training
Street-Smart Chef:
Culinary Education and Training for Street-Connected Children and Youth
Preamble
Every child deserves the chance to dream, learn, and build a future full of dignity and potential. For street-connected and at-risk children, life is often a daily battle for survival, with no access to education, protection, or opportunity. The Street-Smart Chef program is a transformative initiative designed to empower these children and youth through culinary education and professional training.
By turning passion for food into a pathway for self-reliance, the program instills self-confidence and practical skills, laying the foundation for a brighter, independent future.
Project Objectives
- Empower 200 street-connected and at-risk boys and girls annually through professional culinary education.
- Build life skills, communication abilities, and emotional resilience through psychosocial counseling.
- Provide industry-recognized culinary training, language development, and management courses.
- Support job placement and entrepreneurial opportunities in the hotel, restaurant, and food services industries.
- Facilitate higher education pathways for youth with demonstrated interest and aptitude.
What We’re Establishing
A fully equipped, state-of-the-art culinary training center, based in Karachi, a community where Azad Foundation has deep-rooted experience working with street-connected children. The facility will include:
- Modern Training Kitchen: Commercial-grade kitchen for hands-on culinary education.
- Learning Spaces: Classrooms for theory, business education, communication, and life skills.
- Counseling Rooms: For trauma-informed psychosocial support.
- Job Placement Desk: Partnerships with industry stakeholders for internships and employment.
Why This Matters
Over 1.5 million children in Pakistan live and work on the streets. Azad Foundation estimates that approximately 250,000 children live and work on the streets of Karachi. They are deprived of their basic rights and without access to services like education, health care, sports, water, and sanitation, etc. Without intervention, many fall prey to abuse, drug addiction, and crime. Your support helps break the cycle of poverty and marginalization by offering children and youth a tangible and dignified way forward through a skill that’s universal and in high demand:
cooking and baking
What Makes This Program Unique
- Holistic Development: Beyond cooking, we focus on psychosocial well-being, communication, and confidence.
- Local Roots, Proven Impact: Azad Foundation has worked with 170,000+ children since 2000.
- Direct Industry Linkages: Strategic partnerships with hotels, restaurants, and cafes for real-world job placement.
- Gender-Inclusive: Focused outreach to support girls and young women equally.
How You Can Help
Your donation directly changes lives.
- $50: Buys uniforms and kitchen tools for one student
- $150: Covers one month of training and meals for a student
- $1,800: Sponsors a full 12-month training, including education, counseling, and placement support
- $100: for enhancing the Services and facilities for children
As a Corporate Donor or Partner:
- Sponsor a Kitchen Station with your branding
- Fund an Entire Training Batch (20–30 students)
- Provide Internships or Job Placements at your hotel/restaurant
- Offer In-Kind Support: Kitchen equipment, food supplies, chef training, mentorship
We’re open to co-branding, CSR acknowledgment, impact reporting, and long-term partnerships that align with your values.
Your Impact
- Every donor becomes part of a movement that:
- Restores dignity to street-connected children and youth
- Trains skilled workers for a growing industry
- Reduces vulnerability to drug abuse, violence, and Crime
- Promotes equality and social integration
Let’s Partner for Change
We invite you to be a champion of transformation. Together, we can turn kitchens into classrooms and ingredients into instruments of change. Donate Now