Cities for Children

What Cities for Children does

Cities for Children is a UK-registered non-profit charity (CIO No. 1172015) operating as a project of the Pakistan-registered Chotay Shehri Education Foundation (SECP 0186689). Founded circa 2015–2016 by Madeeha Ansari and headquartered in London with primary operations in Pakistan, the organisation designs and delivers community programmes for street-connected children, Afghan refugees, and children in urban poverty. Its core offering is built around a proprietary "Right to a Childhood" framework that articulates three programmatic pillars: Right to Read (education access and literacy), Right to Play (structured recreational and creative play), and Right to Feel Safe (psychosocial support and protection from violence). Delivery is organised through named programmes including Seekho Sikhao Saathi (Partners in Learning), Happy Hoods (Hansti Basti), Mera Haq Hai (advocacy), Care Don't Scare (non-violent discipline resource pack), Temporary Learning Centers (emergency education), and a Psychosocial Support Programme.

The organisation operates through a partnership-mediated, community-led go-to-market model rather than direct service delivery. Programmes reach end beneficiaries via a layered network: grassroots partners (Pehli Kiran School System serving ~1,800 children, Dost Welfare Foundation in Peshawar, Imkaan/Khel in Karachi), government education bodies (Federal Directorate of Education across 20 schools in Rawalpindi, NCRC, and newly visible MoFEPT/BECS logos), and international NGOs and multilaterals (Malala Fund as a financial partner, Consortium for Street Children, UNICEF, Tufts Feinstein Centre, British Council). Its underlying "technology" is methodological — play-based learning and socio-emotional learning (SEL) curricula delivered through teacher capacity building, volunteer-led sessions, and shelter-home partnerships, with no digital product surface.

Cities for Children's revenue model is donations- and grants-based. Income streams include individual donations (website donate page) and institutional grants from funders such as Malala Fund and the Consortium for Street Children. Services are provided free of charge to beneficiaries. The organisation supplements programme delivery with an active content, PR, and advocacy channel mix (Dawn newspaper, The News, podcasts, Twitter/LinkedIn/YouTube, policy consultations, and the 2025 HundrED Innovation Recognition) that doubles as a donor-acquisition and policy-influence engine.

Name

Cities for Children

Legal name

Chotay Shehri Education Foundation

Website

https://citiesforchildren.co

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Cities for Children is a UK-registered non-profit (project of Chotay Shehri Education Foundation) that designs programmes on education, play, and psychosocial support for street-connected children, refugees, and flood-affected children in Pakistan, delivered through partner schools, government bodies, and international NGOs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Child Welfare Services

NAICS

Child and Youth Services (624110), Child and Youth Services (62411)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Child Protection & Child Rights (BPAGABAG)

akta.pro secondary industry

Child Rights & Protection (BPADAGAG)

Keywords

• Child welfare services
• Non-formal education
• Psychosocial support
• Street children advocacy
• Child protection programs

Headquarters

HQ city

London, Greater London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: Individual donations through their website donate page. The organization is registered as a project of Chotay Shehri Education Foundation in Pakistan (SECP Company No. 0186689) and as a CIO with UK Charity Commission (No. 1172015).
2. Institutional Grants: Funding from institutional donors such as Malala Fund (supporting Seekho Sikhao Saathi project), Consortium for Street Children, and other international development organizations.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Cities for Children designs and delivers community-based programs that promote learning, play, and wellbeing for street-connected children and children in urban poverty in Pakistan. Its core offering is organized around a three-pillar framework — the Right to Read (education/literacy access), Right to Play (creative recreation), and Right to Feel Safe (psychosocial support and protection from violence) — delivered through named projects such as Seekho Sikhao Saathi, Happy Hoods, Mera Haq Hai, Care Don't Scare, and Psychosocial Support Programmes.

Product overview

Cities for Children is a non-profit charity organization (a project of Chotay Shehri Education Foundation) that designs and delivers community programs promoting learning, play, and wellbeing for children in urban poverty, primarily in Pakistan. The organization operates through a portfolio of named initiatives organized around three foundational rights: the Right to Read (education access through Seekho Sikhao Saathi), the Right to Play (Happy Hoods recreational programs), and the Right to Feel Safe (advocacy and psychosocial support). Key programs include the Partners in Learning educational initiative, advocacy campaigns like Mera Haq Hai, the Care Don't Scare non-violent discipline resource pack, and emergency response through Temporary Learning Centers. The organization also develops practical resources such as COVID-19 relief volunteer guidelines.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Seekho Sikhao Saathi (Partners in Learning) An educational initiative offering interactive education for out-of-school children through structured sessions in 20 Federal Directorate of Education (FDE) schools in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, including socio-emotional learning programming. Designed for street-connected and out-of-school children without digital access.
• Mera Haq Hai (Advocacy) An advocacy project focused on promoting child rights for street children, engaging with government and civil society through policy consultations and supporting related advocacy initiatives. Supported by the Consortium for Street Children.
• Care Don't Scare (Maar Nahi Pyaar) A resource pack providing non-violent discipline alternatives for parents, teachers, and caregivers to address children at risk of violence. Aimed at building protective practices around children in homes, schools, and communities.
• Happy Hoods (Hansti Basti) Structured programs for street-connected children, led by volunteers with schools and shelter homes, designed to build social-emotional skills through play and creative activities. Includes partnerships with Dost Welfare Foundation in Peshawar and volunteer mentors from Bahria University.
• Psychosocial Support Programme A mental health support program working with schools to identify and address behavioral and learning difficulties in children from slum areas, partnering with Pehli Kiran School System and mental health professionals (Meditrina) for teacher capacity building.
• Temporary Learning Centers Emergency learning centers established for flood-affected children in Sindh, Pakistan, providing educational continuity and protection for displaced young learners. Served over 250 children from October 2022 to March 2023.

Quantifiable outcome

• Served 250+ flood-affected children through Temporary Learning Centers
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

16 partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• Pehli Kiran School System (PKSS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrimary partner organization operating a network of open-air, non-formal schools in slum settlements across Islamabad. Serves approximately 1800 refugee and migrant children. Cities for Children supports teacher capacity building, psychosocial programs, and play activities through this partnership.
• Consortium for Street Children (CSC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational network focused on street-connected children. Provided advocacy support for the Mera Haq Hai project and policy consultations. Cities for Children participates in CSC Annual Research Conference and advocacy initiatives.
• Federal Directorate of Education (FDE)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGovernment education body in Pakistan. Partnership for Seekho Sikhao Saathi program implemented in 20 FDE schools in Rawalpindi, providing interactive education for out-of-school children.
• Montessori Centre InternationalsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerOrganization shown as partner logo on website, suggesting collaboration on educational approaches and methodologies.
• Science FusesupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerOrganization shown as partner logo, likely involved in science/education programming for children.
• National Commission on the Rights of the Child (NCRC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGovernment body in Pakistan. Co-published policy brief on street-connected children in Pakistan with NCRC and UNICEF in April 2022, attended by 150+ guests including activists, civil society, and government officials.
• UNICEF PakistancoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUN agency. Collaborated on policy brief launch for street-connected children in April 2022 alongside NCRC.
• Right to Play PakistansupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational organization using sport and play for child development. Volunteers supported Sports Day event for Pehli Kiran schools in April 2018.
• Dost Welfare FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPeshawar-based organization running shelter homes and rehabilitation centers for street children. Partner for Happy Hoods III program at DOST Welfare Foundation Centre.
• Imkaan/KhelsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerKarachi-based organization running Khel recreation center for children of Macchar Colony. Provides safe space for children who don't attend formal school.
• Bahria University Community Support ProgrammesupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversity program that provided volunteer mentors for Hansti Basti (Happy Hoods) programme in Summer 2018, with students working with Pehli Kiran students to build social emotional skills.
• MeditrinasupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerMental health professionals who provided sectoral expertise for teacher capacity building workshops on learning and behavioral difficulties (2015 pilot phase).
• British Council PakistancoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational cultural relations organization. Collaborated on panel discussion about importance of play in education featuring Dr. Paul Ramchandani (LEGO Professor at Cambridge), government officials, and education experts (August 2020).
• ToyisupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerOrganization providing creative play kits for imaginative play. Collaboration made possible by Ashoka Changemaker Exchange for Happy Hoods III program in Peshawar.
• SPARC (Society for the Protection of the Rights of the Child)supportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPeshawar-based organization with Drop-In Centre for street children near Pirwadhai bus station. Has in-house psychologist and protocols for family reunification.
• Tufts University Feinstein CentresupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic institution. Published case study 'Cities for Children: A Case Study of Refugees in Towns - Islamabad, Pakistan' through Refugees in Towns project in September 2019.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• War Child UK: UK charity focused on children affected by conflict, with programming on child protection and psychosocial support; highly comparable to Cities for Children's 'Right to Feel Safe' work and refugee focus.
• SPARC (Society for the Protection of the Rights of the Child): Peshawar-based child rights organization running Drop-In Centres for street children with in-house psychosocial support; a direct local peer and existing partner on Happy Hoods III.
• Right To Play: International organization using sport and play for child development in fragile contexts; an actual partner of Cities for Children (Sports Day), with overlapping play-based pedagogy and South Asia programs.
• Street Child: UK-registered international NGO focused on street-connected children across South Asia and Africa, including active programming in Pakistan. Highly comparable mission, geography, and beneficiary segment as Cities for Children.
• Consortium for Street Children: UK-based international network of organizations working with street-connected children; Cities for Children is itself a member and partner. Closest peer by mandate on street-connected children globally.
• Railway Children: UK-based charity focused on children living on streets and at stations in South Asia and East Africa; comparable target population, methods (rights-based approach), and UK-rooted governance structure.
• Pehli Kiran School System: Pakistan-based network of non-formal schools for refugee and migrant children in Islamabad slums; Cities for Children's primary delivery partner and de facto operational peer on the ground.

Broad incumbents

• BRAC: One of the world's largest development NGOs, headquartered in Bangladesh with major education and child-focused programming in Pakistan; comparable on non-formal education and South Asia footprint but vastly larger scope.
• Plan International UK: Large global children's rights and girls' education organization active in Pakistan; overlapping beneficiary focus but operating at significantly larger scale across multiple program areas.

Others

• Malala Fund: Global girls' education non-profit and current funder of Cities for Children's Seekho Sikhao Saathi program; comparable in mission (education access for marginalized children) rather than in delivery model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/cities_children?lang=en
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@citiesforchildren1357
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/citiesforchildren

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Cities for Children