Arooj Hameed Khan

Background

Arooj Hameed holds a Bachelor's degree in Clinical Psychology from the University of Management and Technology, Lahore. Her academic focus includes Child Psychology, Psychotraumatology, and Cultural Psychology, with a strong belief that psychological care in Pakistan must be culturally relevant and contextually grounded for it to be truly effective.

She has worked in a range of clinical and educational environments—supporting children with Down syndrome and cerebral palsy at Rising Sun, engaging with adult psychological cases at Services Hospital, and working with long-term institutionalized patients at PIMH. Her research in cultural psychology reflects her dedication to adapting mental health practices to local needs. Within Daadras, she first joined the Social Emotional Learning (SEL) team as an instructor and now serves as the Director of Project Salam, where she oversees the initiative’s development and impact.

Why I Joined

“I got involved with Daadras through Omar Zafar, the founder and a close friend. At first, I’ll admit, I assumed it was like every other NGO these days; feeding people, raising funds, distributing aid. But as I spent more time understanding Omar’s vision, I realized it was something different. Daadras didn’t aim to create dependency. It aimed to empower—to put people back on their own two feet. That shift in approach changed everything for me.

Initially, I helped wherever I could. But when Omar shared his idea for Project Salam, something clicked. The core of Salam was to give these children an entry point into the digital world. If they understood basic technology, they could unlock so many doors for themselves. It wasn’t about just teaching them how to use technology, but about giving them the tools to discover their own interests and, ultimately, their potential. With the right foundation, these kids could pursue any skill or career they wanted to, because the world of knowledge would be at their fingertips. But when we began working with the children, we quickly realized: it wasn’t just about skills. There was emotional damage. Mental chaos. The kind that gets ignored. That’s when we knew we needed more than just IT training; we needed to reach the kids where they actually were. Social Emotional Learning became that bridge.

Through a lot of trial, error, and the wisdom of the right mentors, SEL became a cornerstone of Project Salam. And the triangulation—technology, emotional support, and strategic learning via games—gave birth to a model that we knew could actually change lives.”

Role in the Organization

As the Director of Project Salam, Arooj handles everything related to the project, making sure things run smoothly from an administrative standpoint. She works closely with the course heads, supporting them and ensuring the courses stay on track. While the course heads take care of the volunteers day-to-day, Arooj oversees their appointments and address any issues that come up.

Arooj also helps set the direction for Project Salam, making sure our goals align with the bigger picture of what Daadras is trying to achieve. She is involved in communication with other organizations, helping to build partnerships and expand our reach. On top of that, she keeps an eye on the kids’ progress, ensuring we’re really making a difference in their lives.