VISIT OF HOPE HOME SCHOOL STUDENTS TO CHUNKY MONKEY

HOPE diligently tries to provide education to all, especially the under privileged masses. Hence most of its activities are focused primarily on the rural areas and urban slums of Pakistan. HOPE has a number of formal and home schools, through which an increasing number of students gain education under the supervision of Dr Mubina Agboatwalla – A Child Specialist in Karachi, using a community- based approach to implement interventions to help mold out a better society. HOPE believes in educating children and providing them a pathway in building a brighter future for themselves.

Alongside education, HOPE also takes its students on fieldtrips, which is necessary for the motivation of the students and serves as extracurricular activities. HOPE-An Educational NGO in Pakistan has set up semi formal schools in the areas of Sachal Goth and Bhittaiabad where children are being educated, free of cost. The children of these areas belong to poor families that cannot afford education. HOPE provides these children opportunities they can avail in order to elevate their living standards. One such opportunity is a visit of HOPE home school children to Chunky Monkey, an amusement theme park. 35 students from HOPE home schools of Bhitaiyabad and Sachal Goth were taken on a fieldtrip there and enjoyed themselves to the fullest. The students were accompanied by 2 teachers from the HOPE home schools along with 2 representatives from HOPE. The whole trip was sponsored by Target Inc. Pakistan, a direct affiliate of a major retailing chain store in the US which enjoys a very exclusive and dedicated clientele.

Chunky Monkey is one of the famous amusement parks situated in Karachi with a unique idea of attracting kids and families who are searching for a place that is full of fun and excitement. The rides are very safe and designed in a way that is very secure for the kids. The park is well maintained as well as neat and clean. There are a number of different activities and rides such as the pirate ship, merry-go-round, dodging cars, magic carpet, and the anti-plunger behaved more like an open, rotating elevator to nowhere. The haunted house was an attraction to all; which has a perfect blend of excitement and fear. The trip ended with distribution of lunch boxes consisting of delicious biryani and a soft drink.

Target Inc. Pakistan, awarded a certificate to HOPE, as a token of appreciation for the ongoing commitment and support towards the welfare of children and youth. The certificate was received by HOPE team. HOPE-An NGO in Pakistan looks forward in collaborating with corporations such as Target Inc. Pakistan, towards improving the educational facilities for the underprivileged children in Pakistan.

AQUA PROJECT TEAM VISITED HAND PUMPS INSTALLED IN KATHORE AND DARSANO CHANO

It takes an hour to travel from Karachi to Kathore. Approximate driving distance between Kathore and Karachi is 48 kilometers. Kathore consists of small villages. Water scarcity is one of the major problems faced by the local community. The province of Sindh in Pakistan happens to be one of the places where water is chronically short besides being dirty and contaminated. HOPE-An NGO in Pakistan recognize this problem and have been working relentlessly on it for the last few years and have constructed deep soil water wells providing many rural communities abundant clean water. HOPE has an efficient and smart team which goes to the far flung downtrodden areas and find out sites where the installation of hand pumps is inevitable. The water being extracted by hand pumps installed is potable and fit for human consumption.

With the help of charitable donors of Aqua Project several deep soil hand pumps have been installed in different villages of Kathore. Once again Aqua Project team from HOPE USA visited hand pumps installed at Darsano Chano near Link Road and Murad Ali Gabol Goth in Kathore to view and inspect them. They appreciated the quality of pumps and were satisfied to see that their effort has created such a positive result and benefited the community as a whole. These hand pumps are major source of obtaining water for the local communities who were otherwise forced to get water tankers which is beyond their financial capacity.

While talking with the local community Aqua Project team gets to know about their problems closely. The local people told them before the installation of hand pumps it was extremely difficult for them to get water. It is the responsibility of women and girls or small children to fetch water from water reservoirs in adjacent areas. The reservoirs are on the lands of powerful landlords. When the poor women of the local community went to get water from nearby areas they misbehaved with them. At times they were beaten up by them. Travelling long distances is another challenge in itself while carrying pots filled with water on head. Villagers were very thankful to HOPE-A Health NGO in Pakistan and Aqua Project team for making life easier for them by providing access to water in the form of hand pump. The water is used for drinking, cleaning, washing and cooking, as well as for little vegetation they have. Their cattle also survive on this water. They presented traditional Ajrak to HOPE Aqua Project team as token of thanks. So far HOPE has installed more than 50 hand pumps under the leadership of Dr. Mubina Agboatwalla- A Child specialist in Karachi to resolve the scarcity of water in the outskirts of Karachi. 

INAUGURATION OF HOPE MOTHER & CHILD HEALTHCARE CLINIC IN QAYYUMABAD

It has been 20 months since Sabzwari family supported and inaugurated HOPE Mother and Child Health Clinic in Bilal Colony. Since then the clinic has been providing healthcare services to hundreds of needy and poor people every day. Happy with the success of Bilal Colony MCH, Sabzwari family wanted to open another MCH in some other downtrodden area. By the grace of Allah, HOPE-An NGO in Pakistan has been able to open another mother and child health clinic with the help of the funds donated by Sabzwari family in Qayyumabad. Qayyumabad is a suburb of Korangi Town in Karachi, comprised of an area of 109 acres. It is one of the most densely populated and polluted residential area of Karachi. It is home to Pakhtun, Punjabi, Sindhi, Baloch and Urdu-speaking ethnicities, as well as Christians and Hindus. HOPE Clinic Qayyumabad is another maternal and child healthcare center where free of cost medical services are provided to the needy and poor. The population of Qayyumabad consists of low income class. This is a free of cost Basic Health Unit. It is operated by a qualified doctor rather than a LHV. Treatment for mothers and children is being provided free of cost. Qayyumabad MCH is funded by the Sabzwari family. HOPE MCH Qayyumabad is the ray of light for such an underdeveloped area. A gynecologist also visits this clinic regularly.

The Qayyumabad MCH is well equipped with basic healthcare facilities. Beautiful floral arrangements add more life to the overlook of clinic. Before inauguration HOPE team members from all branches gathered to recite Quran for the good start of the center. After Qurankhwani, the kids of Sabzwari family and the kids of Dr. Mubina Agboatwalla inaugurated the center. Dr. Mubina Agboatwalla- A Child Specialist in Karachi expressed her gratitude to Sabzwari family for prolonging their philanthropic spirit to help HOPE develop more opportunities for the socially deprived. Honorable guest, Vice President of P&G Pakistan, Mr. Sami Ahmed appreciated the efforts of HOPE and Sabzwari family for achieving another milestone in the field of health.  Delicious snacks and hot tea were served to the guests on the cold winter day.

 

HOPE-A Health NGO in Pakistan aims to overcome the challenges of seeking primary health care services in slums of Karachi, where about 60% of the population lives in various informal settlements. In addition, the conditions of slum dwellers and health challenges of the population, such as low immunization and low vaccinations, among others, are also to be eliminated. It is important to emphasize on the inclusion of these people in national health plans and to develop health infrastructure near these communities. Furthermore, there is a strong need to increase awareness of the population about hygiene practices, importance of immunization, and importance of utilizing appropriate health care services.