Momina Cheema Foundation
Est. 2011 · Lahore and district Shigar

Honoring a life by opening doors for others.

For fifteen years, we have helped women earn their degrees, opened a free school for children, and brought clean water, healthcare and skills training to the villages of Shigar.

650+Women funded
750+Children in school
15+Villages served
Momina Cheema at her Harvard graduation
Pupils at the Momina Cheema School, district Shigar
“Education empowers people to create a better world.”
Momina Cheema, 1985–2011
Our impact, in numbers

Fifteen years of lives your gifts have changed

650+ Women funded
Rs 17.5M In scholarships
200+ Trainees certified
5 Provinces reached
A boy fills his cup at a Momina Cheema Water Project tank, district Shigar
District Shigar · Since August 2021

One district, served completely.

Water, healthcare, schooling and training in one adopted district. Every tap you fund is sadaqa jaria, flowing for years.

  • Clean water Community-owned units, 50:50 with each village
  • 24/7 ambulance The district’s first formal service
  • Specialist camps 3,000+ patients treated by visiting specialists
  • School and training Free school and a NAVTTC center
Our programs

Five ways we are keeping Momina’s promise

Each program is run and reported on its own, so you can see where your gift goes and choose the work you want to stand behind.

Signing a scholarship agreement with the University of the Punjab
01
Since 2011

Women’s Scholarships

Tuition for women in law, social sciences and medicine, paid directly to partner universities across Pakistan. Many are the first women in their families to reach university. Two endowed fellowships carry Momina’s name at Harvard and the University of Virginia.

650+ women funded
Rs 17.5M disbursed
6 legacy scholarships
Children collecting water at a Momina Cheema Water Project tank
02
Since 2021

Clean Water Projects

Motorized borehole units in the villages of district Shigar and Ghanche, owned and run by each community. Every project is shared 50:50 with the village and checked on site by our technical team before it is built.

15+ villages served
5 APPNA sites
50:50 village share
A cohort of trainees outside the Professional Training Center
03
Since 2024

Professional Training Center

The first and only NAVTTC-affiliated center in Shigar, at Marah Pi. Free, nationally certified courses in AI for Everyone, graphic design, IELTS preparation and office management, with free transport and paid internships.

200+ trainees certified
4 certified courses
Free for students
The Momina Cheema Hospital Shigar ambulance, the district's first 24/7 service
04
Since 2021

Healthcare

The first district-wide ambulance in Shigar, running 24/7, and seasonal camps where visiting specialists treat patients free of charge. Through the Hadiya Shafique Project, we also provide mobility aids and insulin for children in Faisalabad and Shigar.

3,000+ patients at camps
24/7 district ambulance
120+ mobility aids
Pupils and guests at the school's inauguration, September 2025
05
Since 2025

Momina Cheema School

A free, purpose-built school for children from Nursery to Grade 5, inaugurated in September 2025 in district Shigar. Alongside it, a Quran Hifz madrasa where children learn and memorize the Quran.

750+ children in school
Nursery–5 grade levels
Free for pupils
Seasonal and emergency relief

Standing with people in need, whatever the season

Give to seasonal relief
When disaster strikes
Flood relief Food, shelter and supplies for families hit by floods in Gilgit-Baltistan.
Every Ramadan
Ramadan rations Monthly ration packs so families in need can keep their fasts with dignity.
Every Eid-ul-Azha
Qurbani Qurbani meat shared with 250–300 families across district Shigar every Eid.
Every winter
Winter blankets Warm blankets for families facing the long, freezing Karakoram winter months.
All year
Orphan support Ongoing care and essentials for orphaned children in the communities we serve.
Road safety
Helmets for riders Free helmets to keep motorcyclists safe on the steep mountain roads of Shigar.
Whom we honor
We could not bring Momina back, so we chose to keep her purpose alive.
Tayyeba Zia Cheema, Founder and CEO, and Momina’s mother
Momina Cheema with her mother at her graduation
With her mother, Tayyeba Zia Cheema
Momina Cheema with her father at her Duke University graduation
With her father, Dr Muhammad Akhtar Cheema, at Duke
15th anniversary · Launched August 9, 2026

Her story, in her mother’s and brother’s words

Dr Fareed Cheema holding Everything Else Follows at the launch in Lahore
English

Everything Else Follows

The life, legacy and inspiration of Momina Cheema
Fareed Cheema Momina’s younger brother

Fifteen years on, her brother gathered Momina’s own letters, diaries, essays and poems alongside the memories of those who knew her — a young woman who held learning and devotion together as a single pursuit.

Proceeds support the Foundation
Tayyeba Zia Cheema holding her book at the launch in Lahore
Urdu

مومنہ سے مومنہ چیمہ فاؤنڈیشن

ایک داستان، ورثہ و امید
Tayyeba Zia Cheema Momina’s mother

A mother’s own account of the daughter she lost and the Foundation she built in her name, with forewords by Dr Muhammad Amjad Saqib, founder of Akhuwat, and the novelist Umera Ahmad.

“We could not bring Momina back, so we chose to keep her purpose alive.”
Tayyeba Zia Cheema, Founder and CEO, and Momina’s mother
Free delivery · Ilm-o-Irfan Publishers, Urdu Bazar, Lahore
Buy a book, fund the work Every rupee and dollar earned by both books goes to MCF’s education, health and welfare projects.
Ways to give

Give today.
Let it speak for you in the akhirat.

A scholar’s degree, a village tap, a child’s school desk: sadaqa jaria that keeps giving long after you give. Every contribution is documented and reported.

Zakat Fulfill your Zakat Every program is fully Zakat-eligible, so your obligation reaches women and families directly. Pay Zakat now
Atiyya A gift from the heart Support the program closest to you, once or every month, with an Atiyya of any size. Send your Atiyya
Sadaqah Honor a loved one Name a scholarship, classroom or water unit for a relative who has passed away. Dedicate a gift