Oftentimes, the impact of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is overlooked, as companies engage in activities merely for publicity purposes. With a burgeoning population of over 200 million and with approximately 63% of this population living in rural areas, there is an increasing demand for development in the education and health sectors of such areas.
That’s how Ailaaj has come into the picture by providing opportunities for the youth of Chitral over the past decade, to finally see dividends being paid to have that very youth participate in the biggest tournament in the region, the Ufone 4G KPK Football tournament, and win the title.
The Chitral team had a tough qualifying round to participate in before taking part in the final tournament, which was held in Peshawar at the Tehmas Khan Stadium, beating teams like DFA Swat and DFA Bannu along the way. In the final tournament, DFA Chitral first had to play a tough quarterfinal against Tank, which they won on penalties.
They then took on a Combined Waziristan team in the semifinals, which they comprehensively beat 3-1. The third goal, a long-range effort by Zia Us Salam, was deemed the goal of the tournament.
In the final, they played DFA Mardan, and won the match 1-0 through a Khaleeq Uz Zaman header scored in the 2nd minute of the match, to become champions of KPK on the 11th of December, 2021
A day later, on the 12th, they were to face Muslim Club Chaman, the winners of the Ufone 4G Balochistan tournament, in a single match to determine the winner of KPK-Balochistan. Chitral won the match 2-0, with first-half goals from Yousaf and Muhammad Rasool securing victory.
DFA Chitral Patron Hussain Ahmed said, “Chitral has consistently produced the best footballing talent in the country but due to lack of facilities and support from the higher sporting bodies, there hasn’t been much development to make them become better in their craft.”
“They play for some of the biggest clubs in Pakistan and consistently make the cut for the national team, but with 80 football clubs existing in an area that has a population of under 100,000, this football-crazy region certainly should be able to boast way more talent,” he added.
The Fazal Din Family has been involved in developing the youth of Chitral since 2011, by holding tournaments and football camps for nurturing footballing talent in the region.
Current Ailaaj Co-Founder and Clinical and Ecosystems Lead Bilal Mumtaz said, “Since 2011, I have personally overseen the development of a few youth footballers in the region, through holding multiple camps, one-off matches, and tournaments.”
Adding to this, he said, “It gives me immense pleasure to know that 3 players from the first-ever football camp I held in 2011 (including Zia Us Salam) and an additional 4 players from the Imran Khan foundation who partook in a match in 2017 were a part of the winning DFA Chitral Team.”
“I was bestowed by the honorary title of Team Delegate for the District Football Association Chitral a few months ago, and this was the first tournament they participated in under my tenure,” Bilal further stated.
This consistent CSR initiative by Ailaaj is undoubtedly at the forefront of CSR amongst e-commerce sites, which are getting more traction due to the increased amount of VC funding raised by them in the past year.
We certainly hope to see more positive stories coming out of Pakistan and more people realizing their dreams with the right kind of positive support.
What a great initiative. Ailaaj sounds like a great brand.