Our Mission
Igniting a Multiplier Effect and Empowering Communities
The core mission of the Squeaks Foundation is to empower future female leaders and, by doing so, to fundamentally transform communities. We achieve this by fueling the Multiplier Effect: when we invest in a scholar, we secure not just her future, but the future health and economic stability of her entire household and region. Our focus remains steadfast on addressing the critical healthcare and female education gap in Khyber Pakhtunkhuwa, where the lack of female doctors deprives women of culturally appropriate medical access. By training exceptional female doctors, we are actively supplying the region with crucial healthcare providers who will return to their districts to open clinics, inspire other girls, and ensure that the cycle of quality education and economic self-sufficiency is established and continues for generations to come. Our goal is clear: to break the cycle of poverty and health disparity through the power of a quality medical education.
Our Team
A Foundation of Global Expertise & Local Insight
The Squeaks Foundation is driven by a passionate, all-volunteer board dedicated to securing the future of our scholars. Ana Castro Henckel, our founder and a former private equity investor based in London, leads our strategic vision and oversees global fundraising initiatives. Sameer Warraich, an Analytical Lead at Google with eight years of education experience in Pakistan, ensures the operational and academic effectiveness of our scholarship program. Cheryn Ann Chew, a seasoned investor plays a decisive role in our fundraising. Marc Henckel, a Managing Director at Apax, provides invaluable governance and expertise from the highest levels of global investment, and Rabeel Warraich, a pioneering Venture Capitalist, are all instrumental in leveraging their networks to drive our fundraising success. Together, this diverse and committed team works pro bono, ensuring that 100% of donor funds go directly to the scholarships.
Our History
A Dream Born of Urgency
The Squeaks Foundation began in 2017 with a direct and urgent response to a critical crisis: the severe scarcity of female doctors in the war-struck and culturally conservative North-West of Pakistan, particularly the Tribal Areas. We recognized that due to deeply held cultural norms, the lack of female doctors meant that countless women were being deprived of essential healthcare, limiting not only their lives but the health of entire communities. Our founding idea was to directly intervene by creating a scholarship endowment fund focused solely on empowering women. By providing full tuition, room, and board for bright, financially vulnerable young women to attend the prestigious Khyber Girls Medical College (KGMC), we set out to do more than just fund education. We aimed to ignite a multiplier effect, ensuring that these scholars would return to their home districts as economically empowered doctors, bringing health, hope, and generational change to families often struggling on less than $2 a day.
SECURE A FUTURE, Empower a community.
£20.00
Your generous donation does more than simply meet a goal; it directly funds the transformational journey of a Squeaks Scholar.
Every single pound you give ensures our scholars can complete their full five-year MBBS degrees and return to serve their home districts.
The Squeaks Foundation is a fully registered charity with the UK Charity Commission (Reg. No. 1171837), ensuring complete governance and transparency in our mission
Our Mission in Pictures: Empowering Female Students
