January, 2009: Visit Journal by Atiya Khan

September, 2008: Wisconsin Couple Wisconsin couple visit Pakistan

December, 2007: Dr Shahnaz Khan visit to Karachi Katchi Abadi

December, 2007: Dr Shahnaz Khan visit to Bugna (Azad Kashmir)

An Education Expert Gives High Marks to HDF Schools

Visit Journal by Atiya Khan (Resides in Maryland, US) – Jan 2009

In the last 35 or so years every time I visit Pakistan I meet these incredible people who are highly educated, extremely smart, very sophisticated intellectuals. I wonder why people in the west keep conjecturing about Pakistan on the brink of failing as a nation when we have such amazing individuals there. I am talking about people like Sahibzada Yaqoob, Mehdi Masood, Pervaiz Hoodbouy, Ahsan Iqbal, Soriya Anwar, Ahmad Faraz, Hamid Akhund, Ashfaq Ahmad, Anwar Maqsood, Zahida Hina and the list goes on.

My December 2008 visit was no exception. This year I had the pleasure of reuniting with a family friend (friend of my sister Amera). Her name is Dr. Perveen Hassan.

She has a Ph.D. in Education assessment.

She had served as the Director of Higher Secondary Education Board of Pakistan for 28 years. After her retirement she served on the Agha Khan Education Board as a director and also on Christian education Board. At the moment she is working as a consultant for Education assessment. She travels all over Pakistan for that reason.

She had heard about HDF (through my sister) and wanted to know more. When I heard this I really got excited and gave her my regular emotional and excitable 4-5 minute talk about HDF and told her about my scheduled visit to the KKA project the next day. She showed her eagerness to join me for a visit to HDF Katchi Abadi Karachi project.

We picked her up on our way to the project. She is a keen observer and every now and then asked the children questions on Math, Urdu and Deeniat (Islamic Studies) subjects. At the end of the visit her remark was” Yeh Taat per bathe huey bachchay (kids sitting on the ground matting) are doing much better than the Govt. School Children who have all the facilities.”

You can imagine my utmost pleasure on hearing that. I then invited her to go to the HDF Shamsabad Project two days later and she agreed.

We had to leave at 6.30a.m. I was worried but when we reached her house she was at the gate. On the way (it was a 3-4 hours drive) she asked me if I would mind if she tested the kids. I said “no” actually it would give me some ideas to improve. She had brought some sheets of paper and pencils with her.

We went to see the non formal basic education school in Shamsabad. The school was located in a kucha (mud wall) room with one door and one window. The measurements must be about 10 by 12ft. or something. There were about 25 or so children sitting on the floor. The children belonged to all different grades.

After talking to some of these children Dr. Hassan asked the teachers permission   to test them and the teacher agreed. The teacher’s name was Mona Mufti. She was very involved, knew every student and was proud of her students.

Dr. Hassan gave some children (randomly selected) each a sheet of paper and a pencil and asked them to write their names their grade level and then write something what ever they want.

After ten minutes we collected the papers. All the children had written their detailed introduction. This included their name, their father’s name, school name, and their teacher’s name.

They had written all this in English. The text was also written in Urdu, Short sentences about teacher, school etc.

The remarks from Dr. Hassan were that she was amazed that these children have the creative writing skills. She said she had tested a lot of children from Govt. Schools and they could not write a sentence even when prompts were given to them.

Again I was on the 9th cloud but she quickly brought me back and said we must be cautious as this is only one school. She said this one teacher could be the best. She suggested we get a standard test that would test all HDF Schools and then see where we would need improvements or additional training of the teachers. I conveyed her suggestions to HDF CEO Azhar Saleem.

The program manager education - Zeenat Tariq, who was recently hired by HDF Pakistan, was with us on both of these visits. She has a lot of experience in education. Previously Zeenat had worked for DIL for 7 years.

Dr. Hassan cautioned me about being euphoric. But I being the positive person, I am very happy about these results. Go HDF.

I have asked Dr. Hassan to write a report about her visit and she is working on it, and we plan to share it with our donors and supporters.

Children’s Hand Writing Samples:

Wisconsin couple visit Pakistan

Introduced to the HDF circle earlier this year by Navaid Abidi, Gul Afshan and her husband Anders Schenstrom made a great effort in understanding the HDF concept and its process. Both are professors at The Milwaukee School of Engineering, and share a passion for social work. They thoroughly surveyed the dynamics of various organizations and based on their careful analysis they decided to approach the Human Development Foundation’s Network in Chicago. Not only did they attend the HDF Chicago Network fundraiser in May, 2008, they also actively participated in HDF’s 2nd Annual Convention held in Chicago in June 2008. Then, they took it to the next level and decided to pack their bags to go see and experience in person the various projects that HDF has operating in Pakistan. There is nothing like visiting the sites where HDF is making a vital impact in the lives of Pakistanis. Our projects enable individuals and communities to become creative, productive and self sustaining.

The couple arrived back from Pakistan on September 2nd after a fun filled trip. Along with their memorable experiences they had lots of photographs and videos to share with us. With a full time schedule as professors in Chemistry and Physics, they both jumped right back into their work and their students. We are thrilled to share some of their photographs which were taken at various schools and training centers in Islamabad region and we encourage you all to look out for their stories in our upcoming newsletters.

With their visit to Pakistan, Gul and Anders bring energy and focus to the HDF cause. We thank them both for setting an example for others to follow and to get involved. Each photograph speaks a thousand words and each individual they met left a life lasting impression. Please, take time out of your schedule and visit our projects in Pakistan and see how all of us together are making a difference. Whether you are visiting family and friends in Sindh, Punjab, Baluchistan or NWFP, contact our head office in Islamabad at 92-51-285-2788 or our head office in Schaumburg, Illinois at 800-705- 1310 and we can arrange a tour for you to visit our multiple sites. You can see first-hand what a difference you donations can make.

Take the first step in this blessed month of Ramadan – the month of mercy, compassion and charity. Help HDF in bringing about a positive change in Pakistani society…let’s promise to bring about better quality of education, needed health care, community empowerment, self respect, and the concept of human rights to ensure a better and productive Pakistan.

Dr Shahnaz Khan visit to Karachi Katchi Abadi

I visited the project on Dec 5, 2007. Here are my observations:

a) Education:

At this time we have over 600 students in Karachi. The school I visited is being held in a rented building. Since there isn’t enough room to hold all the classes in one building, class 3 is held in another building, nearby. The rooms are small; therefore, proper furniture cannot be accommodated. I was told that it is very difficult to find large enough buildings in this area. When I asked some children to solve math problems and read portions of books, their performance was satisfactory. I wish we could provide all our students a better environment in which to study.

b) Community Health Center:

This is in a rented building which is adequate for the purpose. I talked to the female health workers and looked at the registers where all the data are kept. The one thing that jumped out was how the children were classified into green, yellow or red, depending on their weight. Green means that the child is within the expected range of weight for the age, Yellow means suboptimal weight, and Red stands for a dangerously low weight.

I have concerns about:

• Accuracy of the measurements,
• Lack of a proper action plan to address the children identified to be in the red. This was discussed with the doctor and the lady health visitor.

The reasons that I can put my finger on are:

• Capacity of the female health workers,
• Lack of an organization plan to address the issue, and
• This region’s dependence on the center for every step and initiative.

I would have expected the doctor to at least show concern regarding this problem and bring it to the Center’s attention. Azhar (CEO, HDF-Pakistan) promised to discuss this with the Project Manager for Health in Islamabad, and then propose a solution. I also believe we could cut down the number of female health workers. But that needs a more thorough review of the overall plan.

c) Vocational Training Center:

I also visited the proposed site for the set up of the vocational training center, and am hoping it shall start soon. We already have a donor specifically interested in this project.

d) New Unit:

I visited an area of the new unit that was recently added in Karachi. Here people live in small huts made of bamboo sticks. Children are out of school and I was told that many of them chew “Gutka”, a local street drug. No one seems interested in educating the children. Our staff had convinced one of the owners of these huts to start school there. A few children have started attending. As I was speaking with a lady I noticed a TV set with remote control and also a washing machine. It seems there is a need to educate people about prioritizing the use of available resources. I am hoping our intervention will make a difference in the lives of these people.

e) Local Support group:

There is an urgent need to develop local HDF support groups in various cities of Pakistan. For this purpose I met some local people, including Vice Air Marshal (retired) Riazuddin Shaikh who is a brother of Dr. Azra Haq, a Chicago-based HDF supporter and originally from the Shamsabad region. I spoke with another lady who showed an interest in working for this cause. She was interested in visiting KKA and Shamsabad. Atiya (Vice-Chair, HDF Board of Directors) is going to follow up on this. I am hoping something will come out of this.

After the visit to the site, I met with the staff in the office. The main issue discussed was cleanliness of the streets. This has been an ongoing problem that many of us have brought up before. It seems like a simple problem but there are some complexities involved. It appeared that we could just rent a tractor trolley once a month or so and go around to clean all the streets of the project area. It will cost about $100 per month. I think that once people get used to living in a clean environment, it is almost impossible to go back. But the staff disagreed because it is not a sustainable solution. They were of the opinion that we need to mobilize the community and also work with the local authorities to come up with a solution. In principle I agree with it. So now it is a challenge for the staff to solve this problem. They were advised to make it part of the 2008 plan. They assured me that when I visit next time, I’ll see improvement.

More pictures from the visit

Dr Shahnaz Khan visit to Bugna (Azad Kashmir)

I visited Bugna on Dec 8, 2007. This is a brief report of my visit.

One major development in the Bugna area is that all the capital offices are being moved into Chhatar Kalas area (this is on the main road from where we take the road to go up to Bugna) from Muzzafarabad as a precaution against future earthquakes. So, it looks like there will be major development, which should create a lot of jobs for the local people, including those in our project area.

HDF has started several initiatives in this region. The following is a brief summary of some of these initiatives.

Observations:

a) Vocational Training Center:

As some may know, we started this Vocational Training Center (VTC) in Bugna after the devastating earthquake of 2005. Until now, the training workshops were being held in a large tent and benefited our community members. Now we are in the process of constructing a proper building for this purpose, on the main road in Chhatar Kalas. It shall be located where the road starts to go up to Bugna. This will be accessible to people other than those living exclusively in Bugna. I have attached some pictures to give everyone a better idea. The classes are expected to be held in the new building by Jan 1, 2008. It should be noted that a group of Mennonite Missionaries had visited Bugna immediately after the earthquake and had donated some funds, those funds are being used for this building.

b) Girls Middle and High School:

The building of the high school is complete. Funds for this high school were donated by Pakistan Association of Greater Seattle (PAGS). Inauguration of the school is set for Dec 29, 2007 and the Prime Minister of Azad Jammu & Kashmir (AJK) is expected to attend. At this time, the girls government middle school is also being used for high school students. On Jan. 1 these students are expected to move to the new facility.
An issue that came up in discussions with teachers, students and community members is the future of these girls who would like to attend college after they graduate high school. At this time the nearest college is in Muzzafarabad, a 2 hour commute by bus each way. Most parents do not allow this. I suggested to the community members to talk (or have the girls talk) to the AJK Prime Minister, when he attends the school opening, and ask for a college for the area. In case that does not happen, HDF and community members need to come up with an alternative.

c) Goat Project:

A brief report and some pictures are attached. I had the chance to speak with the community members. Thallassa Ali, who had taken the initiative for this project, is interested in collecting additional funds to enable the purchase of more goats. But the project design needs to be modified. For example, instead of providing two goats per family, only one should be given, because it is difficult for the woman of the house to take care of two.

d) Sanitation/Kitchen/Home Project:

I visited some of these units. They are nicely built and the community is appreciative but I have a concern, which I shared with Azhar. Since most of the water supply comes from the natural springs, we have to be careful how we build the septic pits. Otherwise, we may create a water contamination problem. It seems that most people have built their homes with the money provided by the government for that purpose. I was told that every single person has received the funds for that in our project area.

e) Bugna Health Center:

This is the only health center for many of the surrounding villages. Before this, people had to go to Muzzafarabad even for minor illnesses and injuries. There is a portable x-ray, ambulance, dispensary with some basic medicines and micro-lab. It is staffed by a doctor, dispenser, technician, a lady health visitor and lady health worker.

Challenges:

Clean drinking water supply is still a problem. I think we need to test the water from the springs that is currently being used and if there is a problem, then we need to find a way to improve the quality. There is a plan for this and I think we can find donors to fund it.

Recommendations:

My recommendation is to start an exit plan from this area, as with the shift of all the major government buildings to this area our presence may no longer be needed; at least at our current level of involvement.

More pictures from the visit: