About Us
The Human Empowerment and Welfare Team – or HEWT – was started in Karachi, Pakistan in 2012 with a simple, but transformative mission: to provide people living in extreme poverty with the financial tools they need to start their own small business and build sustainable livelihoods for themselves, their families, and their communities.
Who We Are
HEWT follows a principle called Qarz-e-Hasna, which encourages providing interest-free loans to people in need. There is no collateral and no strict repayment timeline. This approach focuses on enabling families to launch and build small businesses, empowering them to uplift themselves and create a positive ripple effect throughout their community.
Since the inception of HEWT, we have distributed $500k in loans to more than 4,500 beneficiaries across 16 regions of Pakistan. We are working to bring our initiatives to countries in Africa to expand our reach. When we provide each loan, we hope to take a step closer to a reality where everyone can reach their potential and care for their families – no matter their socioeconomic status. View the stories of our impact.
HEWT is a non-profit organization, so donations are a critical part of our ability to provide these interest-free loans. By making a monetary donation, you can help provide the capital needed for a family living in poverty to get a business up and running. Learn what impact your contribution can make.
Our Team
HEWT is proud to have dedicated employees and volunteers in both the United States and Pakistan.
Zulki Khan
Founder
Zulki Khan is a technologist, an angel investor, a published author of over 100 technical papers, a serial entrepreneur with 25+ years of experience, and has business interests and activities spread across five continents – North & South America, Europe, Asia, and Africa. He has been a founder/co-founder of over half a dozen companies, including multiple technologies and manufacturing concerns, a state-of-the-art medical device company, real estate construction and building enterprises, media and production houses, precious metals mining and refining corporations, and other charitable endeavors. He holds BSEE and MBA degrees and can be reached at [email protected].
Syed Zahid Yezdan
First Director
As First Director, Zahid manages the daily operations of HEWT. Before his time at HEWT, he worked at the Employees’ Old-Age Benefits Institution (EOBI) in Pakistan, a government ministry providing pensions and financial support to people upon retirement. He had many roles at EOBI, ranging from Regional Head to Assistant Director of IT. Zahid enjoys learning about Transcendental Meditation and Vipassana Meditation and often attends meditation retreats worldwide. He is a graduate of the Science of Creative Intelligence course and teaches Transcendental Meditation.
Syed Haider Abbas
Second Director
Haider handles all financial operations at HEWT, including planning, analysis, and collecting and tracking of loan repayments. He worked in many finance-related roles at the Employees’ Old-Age Benefits Institution (EOBI) in Pakistan, including as Assistant Director General of Finance.
Shujat Siddiqui
Third Director
Shujat oversees all accounting operations within HEWT, including audits and investment management. He has a BA in Statistics and Mathematics and an MA in Statistics from Karachi University in Pakistan and has earned a fellowship at the Institute of Actuaries in London. Before his time at the HEWT Foundation, Shujat had roles at the Employees’ Old-Age Benefits Institution (EOBI), Akhtar & Hasan Limited (a consulting firm in Pakistan), United Nations Development Program, and General Life Company in London.
Local Representatives
Local representatives are a critical part of the HEWT team. They identify potential HEWT clients with viable business ideas that benefit from our services. They guide them through the application process, ensure proper loan use, and assist them with a repayment schedule.