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Thursday March 28, 2024

Governor lauds NGOs involved in social uplift projects

By Our Correspondent
May 18, 2018

Sindh Governor Mohammad Zubair said that it is a matter of pride for the entire nation that NGOs working in the social sector are being recognised and financially supported by international donor agencies and institutions.

This he said during a briefing on Thursday at the Governor House where the Patron-in-chief of the NGO Health and Nutrition Development Society (HANDS) Dr Abdul Ghaffar Billo was also present.

Zubair said that financial endorsement of the work done by HANDS in the fields of health, education, livelihood, infrastructure and water and sanitation by USAID, UKAID and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is a reflection of their faith and trust in the activities being carried out by the NGO.

He said that such services by welfare and charitable organisations should inspire other philanthropists and act as an extended arm of the government by providing basic facilities to the masses. Their impact on the lives of the people is immense and long lasting, he observed.

Referring to social uplift projects in Thar, undertaken as part of corporate social responsibility by companies based in Thar, the governor said that the local people have been provided with better education, health and infrastructure facilities. Many schools, health centres, hand pumps and sanitation schemes have been completed and work on several other projects is in different phases of completion, he stated.

Zubair said that health and education are the most important areas of the social sector as they have a direct impact on the lives of the people. The 37-year-long service of HANDS in these areas is a remarkable achievement, he added. Appreciating the disaster management skills of HANDS, the governor said that it has contributed a lot during natural calamities and disasters with relief and rehabilitation work. He assured all possible assistance to the HANDS management in their functioning.

HANDS Chief Executive Officer Dr Tanveer Ahmed briefed the governor on various projects of the organisation. He shared that HANDS was established in 1979 and is operational in 17,000 villages in 48 districts across Pakistan. Loans are being provided to communities to earn their livelihood by setting small businesses under livelihood enhancement programme (LEP), he added. Dr Ahmed also mentioned that 13 Disaster Risk Management Centres are operating under HANDS. UKAID has been the biggest donor, which has donated 26.36 million British pounds during the last six years for various charitable projects, he said.