Who We Are

Originating from humble beginnings in East Africa. the Sumar-Lakhani family knew that someday, they would return to support the impoverished, unwaged, and underprivileged. Starting from that Base Camp the Foundation hopes to spread its wings globally.

The family foundation aims to bring forth the best from non-profits and driven change makers worldwide. Starting with the first project some twenty years ago, SLF continues to sponsor innovative projects worldwide, and we're just getting started. 

A physicist by training and profession, Dr. Amir Lakhani never expected to be caught up in the whirlwind and challenges of non-profit work and management. Dr. Lakhani is an ardent proponent of Social Enterprises with a strategy of co-investment by engaging the recipients to help themselves by implementing change with a sense of ownership.

He is on the advisory board of TCO Cambodia and SET Tanzania, while managing the bulk of projects through SLF. He is the founder of ‘Eagles Nest’, a community website with a mission to bring the community together to share common interests and knowledge. He taught at the University of Sherbrooke in Quebec before joining the Bendix Aerospace corporate laboratory in Maryland where he was granted 2 patents.

Dr. Lakhani enjoys reading his Kindle while listening to jazz, and keeping up with the latest outlandish theories in Physics. 

Dr. Dilshad Sumar is a Pediatric Dentist by training and profession. She owned and operated several private dental practices in Pennsylvania and  served as an Attending Dentist for the residency program at the Sacred Heart Hospital. She teaches at the Kornberg School of Dentistry at Temple University as an Adjunct Professor in Pediatric Dentistry.

Dr. Sumar always knew she wanted to give back to the world, and does so by teaching dentistry globally. She has been a consultant and lecturer at Angkor Hospital for Children (Cambodia), the Aga Khan Hospitals (Kenya and Pakistan), Muhimbili Hospital (Tanzania), Mulago Hospital (Uganda), and Kakaba Hospital (India). She also does live video procedural consultations for the Dental Department of Angkor Hospital for Children in Siem Reap, Cambodia.

In her retirement, she volunteers at the Clearwater Dental Clinic which gives free treatments to the uninsured and underprivileged population in the Clearwater/Tampa area. She serves on the Board of Directors of this community dental clinic.

When she is not practicing dentistry, Dr. Sumar enjoys a super sweet cup of tea and loves to play tennis and squash, where she has a well-earned reputation for being the ‘wall’ because she will always get the ball back in play. 

Samira has an affinity for experiencing new cultures through the universal language of food. She has spent significant time living, working, and traveling through East Africa, Southeast Asia and the United States. Samira earned her degree from The University of Western Ontario in Business Management and Organizational Studies, with a specialization in Human Resources and concentration in Anthropology, Environment and Culture.

 Her professional career spans a number of industries as she enjoys discovering and being challenged in diverse ways – they include social enterprise investments, drug rehabilitation, fine art gallery curation, US tennis operations, and real estate ventures. While her heart will always be in NYC, Samira currently lives in Orlando, Florida and her personal passions involve throwing dinner parties, flying hang gliders, devouring books, listening to the blues, and growing orchids.