Of teens and charity : ‘Like OMG, I work for an NGO’
Areeba, not her real name, is a bright, conscientious 18-year-old off to college this September. She works on and off rebuilding a girls school in rural Sindh in an effort guided by her school. “I know all the girls names, they teach me Sindhi and mark my progress, I distribute sweets,” she says, her enthusiasm apparent. But then comes this observation: It’s something I’m really into, not like, I don’t know, wannabe hipsters who’re just in it for the certificate and the photo ops. Wannabe hipsters in it for the photo ops? I told my father what she said and his first ...
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How the One Rupee Project can help literacy
The One Rupee Project is an idea that provides a clear vision of making a self-sustainable Pakistan. The movement was started by Sarosh Waiz and some of his friends in an effort to help the sectors of education, skill development and entrepreneurship in Pakistan. The idea behind this movement is that a small donation given on a regular basis can make a big change. It thus, seeks a contribution of just one rupee a day, which will add up to Rs365 per year per person. This means that initially, if only 100,000 people are approached, the minimum funds generated will be Rs36,500,000. This sizeable sum ...
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International aid and development are not synonymous
With the groundbreaking Oscar win of Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy and its appreciation in Western audiences, the implications of foreign funding for ‘development’ in Pakistan have been brought to the forefront. The documentary, ‘Saving Face’, highlights the oppression of women in Pakistan and is bound to attract ‘development projects’ which aim to facilitate women’s rights. The term ‘development’ is most commonly understood as a process of social, cultural and economic growth of a country or area perceived as ‘traditional’ rather than ‘modern’. With this premise two points come to mind. The first question raised is that should a society be injected with a ...
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Sexual abuse: Can we protect Amna?
Child sexual abuse is probably the least acknowledged forms of abuse in Pakistan. It is like Pandora’s Box, that no one is ready to open. Children, and even adults are not educated enough about certain incidents and their prevention. Middle East Media Research Institute reports that 2,012 cases of child sexual abuse were recorded from all over Pakistan during 2009. This means approximately 3.3 children were sexually abused per day. Of the victims 68% were girls and 32% were boys. It is suspected that the number is much higher. Girls are more likely to be targeted by family members, acquaintances ...
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On World Literacy day, I made a child smile
On September 8, the world celebrated International Literacy Day. This day stressed the importance of learning, education and literacy to an individual, society and countries. While many countries like France, Germany, Finland celebrated this day with joy and counting their achievements, Pakistan is still in darkness and ignorance. Pakistan gained its independence from India in 1947. Sadly, today India’s literacy rate is much higher than that of Pakistan. This is due to many factors including political stability, child labour, extreme poverty, high unemployment, rural urban migration, high birth rate and low or no standard of government schools. The government in Pakistan is so ...
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Working from home: Basic rights denied
Contrary to popular perception, most women work in Pakistan, and often inside the home in the informal economy. Sixty-five per cent of the female workforce works at home, and a 2009 survey estimated their number to be 8.52 million, although activists suggest it may be as high as 12 million. These workers are not protected by formal labour laws and suffer the legal and social disabilities that are typically associated with this form of work – no rights to minimum wage, no social security benefits, inability to organise in unions and lawfully challenge violations of occupational health and safety (OSH) ...
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When money is involved in journalism
One of the many lessons I’ve learnt in the profession of journalism is that there are always strings attached when a flock of top media personalities are in full attendance when, let’s say, a boring yet important issue like maternal healthcare is discussed at a five-star hotel. I was recently invited to attend one such ‘interactive’ event organised by a leading NGO in Karachi. It was a lively discussion and I was really impressed that many important people not only flew all the way from Islamabad, but also braved through the five-hour long session. As the event progressed, those belonging to ...
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Govt vs NGOs: Recognising good work
As most of us move on with our lives, the struggle for our country’s IDPs is far from over. With pressing issues such as which of the Muslim leagues (N or Q) are more loyal towards the incumbent government, our media has conveniently deemed the floods non-newsworthy. And the government’s attitude is no better. However, it is the non-governmental organisations (NGO) of our country that need to be lauded for their consistent efforts to reach out to the IDPs and provide them the support and counselling they require. Recently, the head of Indus Resource Centre shared how a simple statement by an ...
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Flood relief: Does any one still care?
It has been a few months since floods ravaged one fifth of Pakistan. Immediately, massive campaigns were launched to collect money and supplies to help victims. But slowly, this spirit has died down. Now there are just a few reminders every now and then that survivors need your help. So what exactly happened? What went wrong? And how the hell have we all just come to terms with one fifth of our countrymen being homeless and living off international donor assistance? Well, there are a couple of things that happened that led to this. Firstly, from day one rather than talking of rehabilitation ...
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Desi pseudo intellectualism for dummies
Intellectuals are usually considered the conscience of society and the upholders of values and ideals. Unfortunately, in Pakistan, we have an increasing rash of pseudo-intellectuals who are divorced from the realities of life even as they proclaim themselves to be sons of the soil. Intellectuals hate conformity (or so they constantly claim), but there are certain traits they display which shout “intellectual” even before a word is uttered. Coffee is a must, the blacker the better. Chain smokers gain automatic entry into this rarefied club, but eating at roadside khokhas (in order to feel at one with the masses) and ...
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