German Consulate’s Support To HOPE’s Thatta Hospital.

HOPE’s Thatta Hospital has become an important landmark in the city’s landscape as a provider of much-needed health care s not just for the residents of  Thatta  but also for the surrounding regions.  Specifically in the maternity, mother and child care sector. The need for qualified personnel, space and equipment is always on the increase.

Just when the urgent need for two particularly important medical equipment arose  {anesthesia machine and an  ultrasound machine }   - is when the German Consulate in Karachi stepped forward to offer HOPE with exactly the kind of support that was needed.

The German Consul,  Dr Tilo Klinner met with the HOPE team to determine exactly what  was  needed and very generously extended this  support in the form of financial  assistance for procurement of the two machines.

Not just HOPE but  all of Thatta is grateful to the German Consulate for the timely assistance which  has  greatly increased HOPE’s capacity to help the poor and needy of rural Thatta.

 Dr Mubina Agboatwalla, childspecialist in Karachi and chairperson of HOPE, has always focused in providing   better and increased health  facilities to the rural, poor people especially those of  Thatta and adjoining areas. Both the Ultrasound Machine and the Anesthesia Machine have been a very timely addition to HOPE’s hospital in Thatta as  an additional operation theatre is being established to increase the capacity of providing much-needed healthcare, specially to the women of that area.

HOPE,P&G & Metro Stores: Clean Drinking Water For IDP’s Of KPK

Although HOPE, a health oriented NGO, with assistance of its esteemed partners P&G and METRO Stores  has relentlessly worked in rural areas of Sindh and Punjab to provide pure drinking water and thus safe-guard the health of the general population,  ventured into the internally displaced persons’ camps of Jalozai in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa  and set up several  stations in different locations to  demonstrate the usage of P&G’s purifier of water and to advise its short and long term  health-benefits.

It goes without saying that the one major reason for all kinds  of diseases rampant in rural Pakistan is because of dirty, contaminated and often toxic water that people are forced to consume. Healthy, pure, clean water is not accessible to them specially in the IDP camps.

This relief expedition  intiated by Dr Mubina Agboatwalla, child specialist inKarachi and chairperson of HOPE, was of great importance as a very  vast population approximately 50-60,000 based just in the Jalozai camp was  targeted for not just providing emphasis and awareness of the health benefits of consuming pure, clean water and how this could save them from many life-threatening diseases but also provide them with demonstrations in proper use of P&G’s purifier of water  and proper filtration procedures. For demonstration and awareness two selected  areas with very large population were targeted  and proper use of the P&G water purifier sachets were explained in full details .

A very large number of water buckets, water coolers along with thousands of sachets of P&G’s purifier of water were distributed amongst the population free of charge, as per instructions and directions of Dr Mubina Agboatwalla, child specialist in Karachi.

HOPE’s Maternity Hospital, Zia Colony : Life-saving Complicated Operation Performed Saving Lives Of A Three Month Pregnant Woman & Her Unborn Child.

Moving ahead daringly in providing  the best possible maternity assistance to the needy  residing in areas  where poor,  low-income  population of the  city resides, HOPE   a  health oriented NGO in Pakistan has always taken courageous strides in finding solutions to complicated issues which require immediate and urgent decision-making backed by outstanding medical expertise.

A three month pregnant woman in need of dire and urgent maternity help was  admitted at HOPE’s Zia Colony Hospital . After initial checking  HOPE’s  experienced gynaecologist  surgeon Dr Afshan discovered that  not only the life of this three month pregnant woman was in grave danger but also that of  her unborn child.  One of her ovaries was almost completely enveloped by  a very large cyst that was constantly growing and with the passing of each day further endangering the foetus.

A quick decision was imperative on a war footing. HOPE   a  health oriented NGO in Pakistan  keeps very experienced doctors in its team at all its hospitals to make just this kind of decision and then take immediate, appropriate,  and  relevant action to prevent any loss of life.  In this case Dr Afshan moved very quickly after  confirmation that her  diagnosis was absolutely correct. She prepared  for  a very serious operation to remove  the cyst infested  ovary and  make absolutely sure that no raptures occurred which would be absolutely fatal for both mother and child.

The patient and her family was advised that such an operation although dangerous was absolutely necessary to at least save the life of the mother and if possible also the life of the  three  month old foetus. It was indeed a very risky and dangerous operation but Dr Afshan  performed it very skillfully and as it turned out,  to the joy of the patient and her family and also the HOPE team everything, by the good grace of God, went well. Both the mother and her three month foetus were saved.

HOPE’s team was  personally congratulated by Dr Mubina Agboatwalla, Chairperson of HOPE and child specialist in Karachi, and all the information related to this successful operation was shared with all the hospitals of HOPE.

The patient and her family were  very grateful to Dr Mubina Agboatwalla, Chairperson of HOPE and child specialist in Karachi, for  maintaining such efficient units and for keeping such competent teams of doctors and other technical staff.

HOPE’s Chairperson, Dr Mubina Agboatwalla, Invited as Chief Speaker At A Lahore Seminar On ‘Institutionalization Of School Health Programme’

No sooner had she returned from inspecting and evaluating HOPE’s Muzaffargarh school,         Dr Mubina Agboatwalla, Chairperson of HOPE and child specialist in Karachi   received a call from Nur Foundation / Nur Center For Research & Policy to not only participate in the Seminar being held at Lahore but also be its chief speaker for the day. The theme of the Seminar was ‘Creating Imperative Urgency To Effectively Institutionalize The School Health Programme In Education System In Punjab’  A very  important issue in Pakistan and  since Dr Mubina Agboatwalla, Chairperson of HOPE and child specialist in Karachi   a vastly experienced  and respected personality, professionally related to both health and education, stood out as the best choice to share her views and  advise best possible suggestions to effectively amalgamate health within Punjab’s schooling system – an invitation was forwarded to her which she generously accepted.

HOPE, an educational NGO in Pakistan   runs  several full-fledged primary to secondary schools not just in Karachi but also in interior Sindh, southern Punjab and all the way up to Azad Jammu & Kashmir. Plus over  two hundred home schools spread almost all over Pakistan. In the health sector  HOPE   a  health oriented NGO in Pakistan   has  two fully equipped Maternity hospitals in Karachi, one in Thatta and one in Sujawal and several basic health units in rural Sindh and Baluchistan. Therefore,   Dr Mubina Agboatwalla, Chairperson of HOPE and child specialist in Karachi   who is the real force behind the successful and efficient running of all the educational and health institutions of HOPE,  was asked to speak on how  to best focus resources on effective school health and in making a fresh start to improving the quality and equity of education.

Good health and nutrition are not only essential inputs but also important outcomes of basic education of good quality. First, children must be healthy and well-nourished in order to fully participate in education and gain its maximum benefits.  Early childhood care programs and primary schools which improve children’s health and nutrition can enhance learning and educational outcomes of school children.  Second,  education of good quality can lead to better health and nutrition outcomes for children , especially girls and thus for the next generation of children as well.  In addition, a healthy, safe and secure school environment can help protect children from health hazards, abuse and exclusion.

Dr Mubina’s views, comments and suggestions were very keenly heard, appreciated and recorded for future use. Since the whole program was in conjunction with the Punjab Government’s health policies, chances of implementation of the major factors discussed in the  seminar were much greater.

HOPE’s Muzaffarabad Schools: Annual Visit By The Chairperson And HOPE’s Team. DAY THREE.

Day three was to be the last day of the expedition and although HOPE’s team was happy at the prospect of heading back home to warmer weather – they knew it was going to be the toughest day of the trip. It was an even earlier breakfast  than usual that  day and once again  Dr Mubina Agboatwalla, Chairperson of HOPE and child specialist in Karachi   collected  her team for the last of the visits scheduled for the day.  Everyone knew that the remaining schools were the farthest and  getting to these schools meant going up a mountain on unpaved, bumpy roads, completing the assignment there and then descend from this particular mountain to go up  a different mountain to  get to a different  school.

So everyone in the team from  HOPE, an educational NGO in Pakistan   braced for the energy sapping trips up and down mountains. But as it turned out it was all worth it in the end. The scenic views  that everyone  witnessed was absolutely stunning.  And the schools visited were so well  prepared in welcoming the team from  HOPE, an educational NGO in Pakistan  with elaborate performances prepared for the HOPE team to see.

Saryani was the first stop and the school was perched high  on the very peak of a mountain. After the official work was done, DrMubinaAgboatwalla, Chairperson of HOPE and child specialist in Karachi    personally distributed warm clothing, coloring books and pencils, sweets and samosas and even biryani amongst all the students and teachers. It was a big treat for everyone and it turned into a very happy occasion.

Our next stop was Dakhan Kar Bani where the whole routine was replicated making all the students very happy with the goodies they received.

The  last stop of the day was  Parhore where the students and teachers  had been waiting all day long for HOPE’s  team to arrive. Everything went very well here too and  DrMubinaAgboatwalla, Chairperson of HOPE and child specialist in Karachi    distributed warm clothing and all the other goodies that were brought for the students and teachers of this school.

Now completely exhausted, it was now time for HOPE’s team to once again board their vehicle and descend from the mountains for their long trip back to their base in Muzaffarabad for  a final pack-up in preparation of their long journey back to Karachi.

HOPE’s Muzaffarabad Schools: Annual Visit By The Chairperson And HOPE’s Team. DAY TWO.

On day two the routine was just as grueling as day one. Sleeping in barely comfortable accommodations with night temperature reaching zero degrees after a tiring full day of visiting several distantly placed schools, travelling very shoddy, bumpy roads, cut dangerously close to mountainsides giving  the vehicles and the drivers  amargin of only a few feet from the precipitous edge.

It was an early rise for everyone and a quick breakfast. Several schools had to be covered today and losing no time  Dr MubinaAgboatwalla,Chairperson of HOPE and child specialist in Karachi herded her team in to the waiting vehicle and off they went.

Everyone in the team from  HOPE, an educational NGO in Pakistan curled up against the cold. All of them being from Karachi were not only unaccustomed to the winter cold of Azad Kashmir but also to the geography and terrain of the high mountains of the region. The first stop was at HOPE’s School at Gari Dupatta. It is a small town that has evolved over the years around a military base. Small bazaars cropped up first and then residential settlements and eventually everything that goes with a reasonable population including hospitals and schools. One of the pioneers in establishing schools in this difficult area has been  HOPE, an educational NGO in Pakistan whose efforts and contributions in the education sector has been appreciated by all .

The students and teachers welcomed the HOPE team.The teachers were asked about the syllabus methodology, attendance, results etc. And the students were also randomly asked questions from their syllabus and questions related to recent happenings in AJK & Pakistan and around the world and their awareness was generally found satisfactory.

After the official work was done, DrMubinaAgboatwalla, Chairperson of HOPE and child specialist in Karachi  personally distributed warm clothing, coloring books and pencils, sweets and samosas and even biryani amongst all the students and teachers. It was a big treat for everyone and it turned into a very happy occasion.

Our next stop was Mailsi where the whole routine was replicated making all the students very happy with the goodies they received.

Already exhausted the team made a last stop at the school in  DhaniBakalan where the students and teachers  had been waiting all day long for HOPE’s  team to arrive. Everything went very well here too and  DrMubinaAgboatwalla, Chairperson of HOPE and child specialist in Karachi distributed warm clothing and all the other goodies that were brought for the students and teachers of this school.

Completely tired, it was now time for HOPE’s team to once again board their vehicle and descend from the mountains for their long jurney to their base in Muzaffarabad.

HOPE’s Muzaffarabad Schools: Annual Visit By The Chairperson And HOPE’s Team. DAY ONE.

Each year Dr Mubina Agboatwalla, Chairperson of HOPE and child specialist in Karachi along with a selected team of  HOPE’s personnel at the head office in Karachi make their long journey  to the distant lofty peaks of Azad Jammu  & Kashmir.  The trip is never easy for  HOPE, an educational NGO in Pakistan specially with the long train journey from Karachi to Rawalpindi via Lahore and then a very tiring  onward bus-ride to Muzaffarabad.  But HOPE, an educational NGO in Pakistan is never deterred by such hardships and actually take it as an adventure along with fulfilling the needs and objectives of the trip           .

After settling into respective accommodations in Muzaffarabad and taking a well deserved rest and sleep the first night in AJK,  the team was ready the next morning  for visits to HOPE’s  home schools , most of them nestling high on different  mountain peaks.

Day One  in Azad Kashmir began with an early breakfast.  The transport arranged by Dr Mubina Agboatwalla, Chairperson of HOPE and child specialist in Karachi was already waiting. They  boarded the vehicle and started their ride to the first of the schools  located in a place called Chaprian. Not an easy place to visit by any means.
The young students at the school were expecting HOPE’s team and welcomed them as they got to the school. Dr Mubina Agboatwalla, Chairperson of HOPE and child specialist in Karachi spoke at length with the children and the teachers.                                                  Later the team distributed pastries and samosas to all the children. 

The team  later visited two more schools at Dharian Kar Bani and Narhotar where the process of  evaluating the teachers and students continued besides distribution of pastries and samosas, colouring books , pencils and warm clothing for  the students who were all overjoyed at receiving the goodies.  Large and small stuffed toys were also  distributed amongst the  children.