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No upfront costs.
WHY ICAN
The world needs more nurses.
The world needs more nurses, while many capable women cannot afford the education to become one. ICAN is developing a nursing college in Karachi to connect these needs: preparing women for skilled, compassionate nursing careers without upfront tuition. Your support helps build additional nursing capacity and creates a path toward financial independence for women and their families.
Why We founded ICAN
The world needs more nurses.
Shabbir Nomanbhoy and his sister, Aymen Tyebjee, ran a U.S. home health business where patients depended on nurses who could care for them at home. Seeing that shortage firsthand inspired Shabbir and his wife, Munira, to establish ICAN and open a path into nursing for more women in Pakistan.
WHAT YOUR SUPPORT ENABLES
Directing Funds Where They Matter Most
Campus and Learning Spaces
Help prepare the classrooms, library, laboratories and teaching resources needed for ICAN’s first nursing college.
Access without upfront tuition
Help ICAN make nursing education accessible through its deferred-tuition model. Graduates’ future repayments are intended to help support the next generation.
Clinical learning and faculty
Support practical teaching, appropriate skills-lab resources and the faculty and clinical relationships needed for nursing education.
LEADERSHIP
Guided by Expertise and Integrity
Our leadership board are committed to advancing nursing education in Pakistan.
H
Husain Master
S
Shabbir Nomanbhoy - CEO
M
Merlin Garcia
LATEST PROGRESS
A Campus Takes Shape.
A Future Begins.
The spaces, people and partnerships behind ICAN’s first nursing college.
15 JULY — 15 OCTOBER 2026
Three months. A transformed campus.
From renovation work to classrooms, laboratories and a furnished library.
JUNE–OCTOBER 2026
Our faculty comes together
From recruitment and appointments to the team’s arrival on campus.
Meet the milestones →
AUGUST–OCTOBER 2026
Hospital collaborations
Three collaborations to support clinical training for future nursing students.
Explore the update →
REGULATORY PREPARATIONS
SEP2026
OCT2026
SEPTEMBER–OCTOBER 2026
Regulatory preparations
Follow the application process and the next steps toward licensing.
View the status →LATEST PROGRESS
Stories of Progress. Powered by People.
ICAN Advisors Meet Sindh HEC Chairman
ICAN’s advisors met the Chairman of the Sindh Higher Education Commission to introduce the initiative and share its vision for...
Engaging with Burhani Hospital’s Leadership
The ICAN team met Burhani Hospital’s senior management as part of its efforts to build relationships with healthcare institutions and...
Welcoming Areeba, Our First Faculty Member
ICAN welcomed Areeba, an Aga Khan University nursing graduate, as its first faculty member. Her appointment...
A Milestone Together: ICAN’s First Faculty Meeting
ICAN Chairman Shabbir Nomanbhoy chaired the institution’s first faculty meeting, marking a significant step in...
Learning from Karachi’s Nursing Colleges
ICAN’s founder and team visited nursing colleges across Karachi, gaining insights into academic environments and institutional practices...
Meezan Bank Founder Irfan Siddiqui Visits ICAN
ICAN welcomed Mr. Irfan Siddiqui, Founder of Meezan Bank, for a visit, providing an opportunity...