Annual Report 2024-2025: Introduction from Lord Jitesh Ghadia
By Lord Jitesh Gadhia
Chair of Trustees
Introduction to the 2024-2025 Annual Report
It remains an immense privilege to serve as Chair of the British Asian Trust. Against a backdrop of economic uncertainty, I'm proud that the Trust has continued to increase fundraising and expand our development programmes to support under served communities across South Asia.
2024/25 marked the completion of several successful partnerships for the Trust. In India, a six-year programme supported by the BT Group empowered one million young people with digital skills, STEM education and learning on gender equality. I am delighted that BT Group has pledged a further three years of funding to continue this inspiring work.
Meanwhile our livelihoods team celebrated the conclusion of two programmes in Pakistan which have helped more than 12,000 women to set-up a business or secure employment, thanks to partnerships with Target Foundation and the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office’s UK Aid Match fund.
By working with governments, corporate partners and local organisations, the British Asian Trust is uniquely placed to drive systemic change. A great example of this is our partnership with the Government of India's Mission Karmayogi which launched this year. Through a series of training modules, the Trust is helping to equip up to 35 million civil servants with the knowledge to safeguard the rights and wellbeing of children.
We’re also working with the Mir Khalil ur Rahman Foundation to transform the mental health landscape in Pakistan through Milkar, the world’s largest ever mental health awareness campaign. It aims to reach 175 million people, making a huge impact on how the population perceives and treats mental health issues.
We’re continuing to build on our mental health work in Bangladesh too. Here the Trust provides crucial counselling and support to acid attack survivors, as well as collaborating with businesses like Primark, to improve mental health for workers in the ready-made garments industry.
It has also been encouraging to see the growth of our Climate Innovation Fund in Bangladesh. This year, eight more enterprises were selected for their innovative and scalable solutions, which will benefit 10,000 local farmers by 2026. In the coming months, we will assist these enterprises with a bespoke package of support which includes venture-building and follow-on funding, helping them refine their models and expand their reach.
Our commitment to social finance is another great example of finding new and creative ways to achieve impact. It continues to drive our progress in areas such as education where LiftEd is on track to improve Foundational Literacy and Numeracy (FLN) for four million children in India. Meanwhile our groundbreaking Skill Impact Bond is equipping 50,000 young people in India – 60 per cent of whom are women – with the skills to secure work. I am proud to report that we have also now developed Pakistan’s first Development Impact Bond, which will focus on skills and employment.
A busy events programme underpinned our programmatic work in 2024/25. This has included the Most Exotic Bicycle Tour, Annual Dinner and Iftar, which collectively raised more than £1.5 million to support our life-changing programmes.
March 2025 also saw the launch of the Big Egg Hunt in support of Elephant Family, an extraordinary public art trail featuring over 120 egg sculptures created by some of the world’s leading artists and designers. Elephant Family Joint Presidents, Their Majesties The King and Queen, commissioned their very own ‘Royal Egg’ which was hosted outside Buckingham Palace, bringing much joy to the thousands of people who took part in the city-wide egg hunt.
As Royal Founding Patron of the British Asian Trust, The King continues to be a passionate advocate of our work. As well as sending a personal message to guests at our Annual Dinner, we are grateful to His Majesty for inviting our supporters to special events including the Commonwealth Service at Westminster Abbey and a Humanitarian Reception at Buckingham Palace.
I would also like to express our profound thanks to all of the Trust’s supporters, notably our Founders Circle, corporate partners, trusts, foundations and governments, without whom we could not run such impactful programmes at the scale we do.
Last, but by no means least, I am grateful to all my fellow Trustees, our Advisory Council members and our staff team for their tireless efforts and commitment throughout the year.
Thank you all for playing such an important and vital role in helping us to transform so many lives.
