HOPE AND ITS BATTLE AGAINST THE OMICRON PANDEMIC

As the Omicron variant of corona sweeps across the world, Pakistan has been affected too. The number of corona cases are increasing dramatically. People from all strata of the society are affected including the lower socio-economic class.  In these poor socio-economic classes firstly, people are hesitant to get vaccinated and secondly if they develop symptoms they do not get tested and infact never want to go to a hospital. HOPE - A Health NGO in Pakistan has started management and testing for the poor communities.

Dr. Mubina Agboatwalla – A Child Specialist in Karachi is personally supervising this operation. HOPE is helping in diagnosis of covid cases. In addition, free masks are provided to all patients. Masks are provided to all community members. Pulse oximeters are provided to all covid positive cases at home and they are trained to use pulse oximeters. Where necessary patients are admitted. However, home management is encouraged. In patients unable to maintain oxygen levels, oxygen cylinders together with flow meters are provided.

Oxygen therapy at home is the mainstay of treatment. This has resulted in reducing the rate of hospitalization in patients. Lives of many patients are saved. Free oxygen services have been very useful for the poor, moderately affected covid patients. HOPE - An NGO in Pakistan continues to provide comprehensive health cover in these troubled times.

BLANKET DISTRIBUTION BY HOPE AMONG THE NEEDY PEOPLE

Although the winter season is welcomed by the well privileged and wealthy people through fancy clothing, hot food and festive moods, it brings a lot of agony and difficulties to the poor people of our country. Quite sadly, many poor people in our country cannot afford to buy blankets during winters. In this scenario, especially women and children suffer more. Keeping in view the drastic situation of the poor, HOPE - A Health NGO in Pakistan, came as a ray of light towards the people who are helpless.

HOPE has distributed blankets to the people who have no source of help during this winter seasons. HOPE distributed blankets in the areas of Kolarchi, Badin, Thatta, Ghaggar and Sujawal. These areas are a lot colder during the winter seasons as compared to other areas in Sindh. The houses in these area are not very warm as compared to other urban cities like Karachi, where there are tall buildings to break down the flow of cold breeze. These blankets will protect the people from the piercing cold especially at night, it will help them get a peaceful and warm sleep without any worry and there will definitely be some reduction in the number of deaths due to the cold.

During the monsoon and freezing nights, HOPE - An NGO in Pakistan, found many poor people living on the roads who were helpless. There are millions of underprivileged who cannot afford even a blanket and die due to the intense cold without a roof or cloth on their bare bodies.

By the distribution of blankets this is a good gesture of helping out the community. Through the provision of blankets to the ones in need, it can make a great difference to an individual or a family, especially those who are homeless.

The temperature dropped further as many cities experienced more winter rain, but under the leadership of Dr. Mubina Agboatwalla - A Child Specialist in Karachi, the team distributed blankets to the needy people in slum and rural areas of Sindh as mentioned above. There cannot be a bigger satisfaction by helping someone when they are the most in need.

HOPE INSTALLS SOLAR ENERGY AT ITS GENERAL HOSPITAL IN ZIA COLONY

Solar power is energy from the sun that is converted into thermal or electrical energy. Solar energy is one of the cleanest and most abundant renewable resources, meaning it won’t ever run out or be in short supply. In just one hour, enough sunlight shines on the earth’s atmosphere to hypothetically provide electricity for every person on earth for a year.

Solar energy is the cleanest and most abundant renewable energy source available. In addition to being renewable, solar energy is typically labelled a “green” source of energy due to the lack of harmful environmental side effects associated with its use. While fossil fuels release greenhouse gases and other particles into our atmosphere, generating energy from solar panels is a zero-emissions process that can take place anywhere the sun shines.

H OPE – A Health NGO in Pakistan, whose primary motive is based on providing for the needy. Hence by saving its operational cost, which was being spent on buying electricity HOPE installed Solar panels in its Hospital located at Korangi, Zia Colony, which is producing its own electricity to power up the hospital. Thus in this way the money which would have been spent on electricity bills, will be utilized on providing other better facilities to the patients.

Under the leadership of D r. Mubina Agboatwalla - A Child Specialist in Karachi, most of the organization’s activities are focused on fulfilling the health and educational needs of the society. HOPE works extensively to provide quality education, health services and other basic necessities of life, free of cost to the underprivileged masses.

Solar panels cost money upfront, but that is a onetime capital cost, it will eventually save money on energy bills in the long term. HOPE – An NGO in Pakistan, understands the significance of this  investment and how it can benefit the Hospital and its patients in the years to come. Patients can benefit free of cost treatment. Also there will be no interruptions of power failure or fluctuations, since the Hospital will run on sustainable energy of its own.

HOPES APPROACH TOWARDS INSTALLING HANDPUMPS IN THE RURAL AREAS OF PAKISTAN.

Water scarcity is a major issue in many areas of Pakistan. Either the area is a desert or rough barren mountains. Neither drinking water nor water for bathing or washing is available. People need to travel miles to get water. In the culture of Pakistan, women are the ones who travel to get the water. With earthen pots on their heads. Water is not available for cooking or drinking. HOPE - An NGO in Pakistan is very much aware of this problem and is striving its best to sort the issue in the areas where water scarcity is an issue.

To combat this problem, HOPE installs hand pumps in the remote areas.  These hand pumps are installed in desert areas as well as barren mountainous terrain.  The hand pumps go down nearly 200 to 250 feet deep. Before installing the hand pumps, a survey of the area is done to make sure that the ground water is not hard water but rather drinkable sweet water. Needs assessment of the area is done and community is taken into confidence. A community based committee is formed to look after the maintenance of the hand pump.

The whole process takes around 6-8 weeks. Once the hand pump is installed the people happily use the water not only for drinking purposes but also bathing, cooking and washing. The women are spared the ordeal of travelling by foot miles and miles daily to collect the water. They can utilize this time more profitably. Dr. Mubina Agboatwalla - A Child Specialist in Karachi, personally supervises the installation of hand pumps.

HOPE – A Health NGO in Pakistan, till date has installed 63 hand pumps all over Pakistan from the mountainous terrain in the north, to the barren plateau of Balochistan and the deserts of Thar and Cholistan. In some areas, instead of traditional hand pumps, electric motors are used to pump out the water. There is dire need for hand pumps all over Pakistan as water shortage becomes more important.

SOLAR ENERGY - A NEW ASPIRATION FOR THE RURAL SLUMS OF KARACHI

Electrical Energy is the basic necessity for the economic development of a country. People use electricity for basic needs like lights, fans, charging phones etc.

Asia Petroleum Limited, along with collaboration of HOPE – A Health NGO in Pakistan has installed Solar Panels in the areas of Kachra Kundi and Umer Goth, Karachi. These solar panels convert solar energy into electricity. This is one of the major issues which has been existing in these areas since a long time, which no one have ever taken any step in solving these issues.  

Solar panels can run for about 20 years and are an efficient, effective and sustainable form of energy. HOPE along with Asia Petroleum Limited have taken this initiative of working positively to impact as many houses possible by providing a brighter life for the people living in rural slums.

By providing a source of electricity these impoverished communities, will benefit a thousand folds through this blessing. People will not suffer in the heat, houses will not be dark, other house work, the streets will be illuminated through which people do not have to travel in the dark, shops will be lighted.  In the shorter, dark days of winter, they do not have to leave early to have light on their way home.

HOPE - An NGO in Pakistan diligently tries to assist the underprivileged communities who are neglected and have no support.

Under the vigorous leadership of Dr. Mubina Agboatwalla - A Child Specialist in Karachi, most of the organization’s activities are focused primarily on the rural and urban slum areas of Pakistan. HOPE works extensively to provide quality education, health services and other basic necessities of life free of cost to the underprivileged masses.

Electricity is a basic facility of life. By providing electricity to these people, together we can provide a better, brighter future for the people of Pakistan.

 

MUBASHIR: AN UNDERPRIVILEGED STUDENT AT HOPE ZIA SCHOOL

This is the story of Mubashir Naseer, whose family is living a life below poverty line. Mubashir’s father Naseer Akhter had died during his child hood and his mother is disabled, due to which the family has faced a lot of hardships and are struggling hard in order to make ends meet.

Mubashir is a student of HOPE Zia School in class 9; he has three siblings, from which his elder sister has already completed her matric from HOPE Zia School, while 2 of his brothers are currently students of class 9 in the school.

Keeping in view their financial condition, the tuition fees and other educational supplies related costs have been sponsored by HOPE – An Educational NGO in Pakistan. They have been studying since nursery. HOPE has never charged a single penny from these students in all these years.

Mubashir and his family live in a rented house in Zia Colony. The way they are coping with life is a real challenge. One sister of Mubashir is currently teaching in a school, through which she is able to generate a source of income to support the family. This was possible through the support of HOPE - An Educational NGO in Pakistan.

Mubashir has the ambition of perusing his education further in the field of medical and looks forward to becoming an Eye Specialist. He wishes to sponsor the education of more under privileged students in the future. This is how the circle of life goes on; we help others without any expectations and will receive help from strangers in the most unexpected ways, when we feel the most helpless. HOPE has decided to sponsor the future education of Mubasshir by supporting in his studies through college and beyond through a scholarship programme.

Dr. Mubina Agboatwalla - A Child Specialist in Karachi, monitors the progress of each of her school very closely, and encourages the education of such children who have high ambitions in life, but cannot afford school fees. Such students can be made capable enough of getting a respectable job and earing an income that could improve the conditions of their family.

Maternal and Child Health Services in the mountains

Health service delivery in the mountains is an extremely difficult issue. The areas are remote, and roads are no good. Health care facilities are nearly nonexistent.  Maternal deaths are very common due to pregnancy related complications. It is very difficult to take a bleeding, pregnant woman to a health facility down the hill. To address the health issues of mothers and children HOPE- Health NGO in Pakistan decided to set up a Maternal and Child Health Centre in Chikaar, a mountainous town at a height of 5000 feet, nearly two half hours away from the city of Muzaffarabad.

The space for the MCH Centre is being provided by the community on a voluntary basis. The Government of AJK, Health Department is collaborating with HOPE - An NGO in Pakistan towards this end. This health facility will provide the much needed health care in the area. Antenatal Care for pregnant mothers, early referral of precious pregnancies, treatment of anaemia, growth monitoring and nutritional advice for children. Intravenous rehydration for diarrhea cases. Early management of childhood pneumonia, to prevent mortality due to respiratory infections. 

Dr. Mubina Agboatwalla, Child Specialist in Karachi has the vision to set up such MCH Centers throughout the country, so as to provide health care in remote areas where there are no health facilities. The Chikaar MCHC Centre a collaborative effort between HOPE, the local community and the Government of AJK will go a long way in reducing maternal and Child Mortality.