Behbud holds meeting to review ongoing projects

Islamabad : The Behbud Association Rawalpindi-Islamabad chapter held its 51st annual general meeting at the headquarters in Rawalpindi to update members about the progress of the association and review its ongoing projects. The meeting was well attended, showing that members do take an interest in the NGO’s they support! General Secretary, Ghazala Shaukat acted as the MC of the event.

The meeting began with a prayer from the Holy Quran, after which senior vice president, Abida Malik welcomed the gathering and began by paying tribute to the late Aneela Haider, for her invaluable contribution to Behbud. Thanking the ladies for their presence she added, “Your support is important to the steps we’ve made and of the possibilities of what could be, as we continue on this path. It is important for us to have these opportunities to connect with our community since successful community inclusion is a core value at Behbud.”

Congratulating the departments of health, education, the café, boutique, advocacy and vocational training center for performing exceedingly well, she said Saidpur school did the best - now a rejuvenated passion was needed that would inspire the clients, staff and the community to push for more and take the school up to matriculation and hopefully, college level. Informing that mother and child care services have been added to the health sector, she said a Behbud owned building will soon be turned it into a proper mother and child hospital.

“However, challenges of sustainability are still major concerns. For this, every one of us needs to re-evaluate and rethink how we can sustain our projects, though young professionals from different walks of life on the advisory committee have been critical in helping us achieve success in various activities,” she said

Congratulating Dr. Aliya Khan, member of Behbud’s advisory committee who has been appointed to the economic advisory council of the government, she announced that Executive Director, Admiral Mushtaq, has nominated a professional who will document and implement vision ‘2050.’

In conclusion she said the achievements of Behbud can be directly attributed to the hard work and dedication of two generations of volunteers and the founders who were passionate and highly committed to the welfare of the women and children of Pakistan’s most underprivileged communities.

“It is our success as an organisation; the synergy we have found within these walls; the barriers we have knocked down and the opportunities we have created, but more than that, it is about the success we have witnessed in the lives of our artisans and their families, the tears of joy, their smiling faces and the tales of how their lives have changed,” she said. “The future is bright. Behbud is 50 and fabulous; stronger than ever and ready to push the limits. As Nelson Mandela said, ‘After climbing a great hill, one only finds that there are many more hills to climb. Thank you.’

Admiral Mushtaq (r) then gave a very detailed account of the activities; achievements; income and expenditure of the organization, after which a Q&A session followed and the meeting came to an end.