Rast is a Persian word (راست) meaning “right” or “direct.” It is also the name of the basic note in Panjgah (پنج گاه), Persian, Arabic, and Turkish systems of music.
RAST Foundation is a non-profit organization established in 2013 by a group of citizens in response to the need for improvement in the educational system in developing countries, especially Pakistan. The board of directors and our volunteers believe that illiteracy is the root cause of poverty in developing countries, and the cure lies in education. Enhancing teachers' training skills is the most effective approach to improving education in a country.
The vision of the RAST Foundation is to eradicate illiteracy and bring the age of reasoning to developing countries. Education should be an empowering process that guides students to develop their passion, critical thinking, compassion, and orientation toward wisdom for timely action.
To achieve these goals, our first project is the Bureau for Teachers Professional Development (BTPD) which provides free training sessions for pre-primary and high school teachers to improve the educational effectiveness of schools.
As of 2015, BTPD has successfully trained more than 200 teachers free of cost with the help of their highly dedicated faculty and volunteers in Karachi. Similar training would cost Rs.60,000 – Rs.150,000 per participant in a commercially operated training center. This amount is out of reach for most teachers whose median monthly salary is Rs.7000 – Rs.15,000.
Another project in the planning and inception stage is KAMAAN which will bridge and facilitate access to foreign scholarships. Moreover, RAST also plans to develop and promote virtual libraries for the general public to promote reading and enhance intellect under the umbrella of IQRA.
RAST Foundation is registered in Pakistan as Rafia Anam Siddiqui Welfare Foundation under societies Act XXI of 1860 (Registration number KAR NO 132 – 2014-2015).