Human Development Foundation (HDF)-Chicago Chapter
Grass-roots movement for social change
and community empowerment
Grass-roots movement for social change
and community empowerment
is being used by the military as a “photo op.” The people of Myanmar, in the midst of all this misery, are being asked to vote on a referendum to extend the
military’s hold on office. Thousands of people lost their lives and more will in the aftermath, and the government insists on holding a referendum! Mugabe
of Zimbabwe is refusing to yield office in spite of overwhelming evidence that he lost the recent election and the military is violently cracking down on
opposition supporters. Even our own government is not above using fear to mold public thinking and justify some unpopular government actions such as the
Patriot Act and certain military actions, all in the name of national security.
No, real change, positive change, happens at the grass roots level. I was privileged to attend a fund raiser organized by just such a group. The Human
Development Foundation-Chicago Chapter held their 11th annual fund raiser in Rolling Meadows, Ill. on May 3. The event was hosted by co-chairs
Shahida Khan and Arshia Hasnain. The event featured keynote speakers and a viewing of the Visionaries Series Documentary which shows the ongoing
fulfillment of the mission of the Human Development Foundation as it changes lives in Pakistan.
The HDF Mission is “to facilitate a non-political movement for a positive social change and community empowerment through mass literacy, enhanced
quality of education, universal primary health care and grass-roots economic development.” HDF was founded in 1997 by the Pakistani American
community to give back to their ancestral homeland in areas that are critically in need of development. The areas in which the foundation will effect the
most change are 1) Community Empowerment -- under the guidance of HDF, volunteers will help organize communities and involve the citizens in
effecting positive change. 2) Educational opportunities for all -- including elementary education for all children, teaching them English and following a
curriculum that uses an activity-based learning environment that creates a positive learning experience. Elementary and middle-school education for girls
which will allow the women of the future to participate fully in developing the nation and most critically, adult literacy classes to teach basic reading and
math skills to adults who lacked the opportunity as children. 3) Healthy Families -- providing health care, training visiting nurses, encouraging early
immunizations and well-baby programs to reduce staggering infant and child mortality rates from preventable diseases. 4) Self Help Infrastructure --
programs which include the building of good roads to connect villages and the ability to provide clean drinking water by building simple but effective water
treatment facilities. 5) Micro credit loans -- made to entrepreneurs allowing them to start or grow small businesses. These are people normally turned away
by banks as bad prospects or unworthy of their business but micro loans can work wonders on a small scale, providing women and men with a way to feed
their families, the means to build a home for their children and provide hope for their future. This ability to provide for their families gives them dignity, and
dignity is a direct result of security.
The last statement above was made by one of the speakers, Prof. Adil Najam, who spoke at length on the duty of Pakistanis to help the land they left
because as he put it, the people in the audience were Pakistan’s greatest export: brain power. Prof. Najam provided some grim statistics on the rate of
literacy in Pakistan, along with a high infant mortality rate, and said that the people in the audience could continue to make a difference. He said that the
mission of HDF is actualizing and enabling development. He pointed out that some of the early beneficiaries of the program are now taking the reins of
leadership themselves..
The evening provided a social opportunity and a chance for the Pakistani community of Chicago to contribute in a meaningful way to a project that is
making a difference in carefully selected areas. With frequent visits by board members to the region (paid out of their own pockets) and a staff in the
country, the programs are monitored carefully for compliance. This is not a political organization, but it works with the cooperation of the Pakistani
government where required.
Other speakers and well wishers included an address by Dr. Aman Rashid, consul general of Pakistan and Congresswoman Malissa Bean. The HDF is
growing in large cities across America and there is thought being given to starting a chapter in Wisconsin. Anyone interested in finding out more about
starting a local chapter should contact either Gul Afshan, Afshan@msoe.edu or schenstr@msoe.edu. The final act, after fund raising concluded (and the
fund raising was quite successful) was a performance by Fakhir, which sadly, I had to miss, as the evening was late and I had to leave.
For more information, visit http://www.hdf.com/hdf/newasp/
military’s hold on office. Thousands of people lost their lives and more will in the aftermath, and the government insists on holding a referendum! Mugabe
of Zimbabwe is refusing to yield office in spite of overwhelming evidence that he lost the recent election and the military is violently cracking down on
opposition supporters. Even our own government is not above using fear to mold public thinking and justify some unpopular government actions such as the
Patriot Act and certain military actions, all in the name of national security.
No, real change, positive change, happens at the grass roots level. I was privileged to attend a fund raiser organized by just such a group. The Human
Development Foundation-Chicago Chapter held their 11th annual fund raiser in Rolling Meadows, Ill. on May 3. The event was hosted by co-chairs
Shahida Khan and Arshia Hasnain. The event featured keynote speakers and a viewing of the Visionaries Series Documentary which shows the ongoing
fulfillment of the mission of the Human Development Foundation as it changes lives in Pakistan.
The HDF Mission is “to facilitate a non-political movement for a positive social change and community empowerment through mass literacy, enhanced
quality of education, universal primary health care and grass-roots economic development.” HDF was founded in 1997 by the Pakistani American
community to give back to their ancestral homeland in areas that are critically in need of development. The areas in which the foundation will effect the
most change are 1) Community Empowerment -- under the guidance of HDF, volunteers will help organize communities and involve the citizens in
effecting positive change. 2) Educational opportunities for all -- including elementary education for all children, teaching them English and following a
curriculum that uses an activity-based learning environment that creates a positive learning experience. Elementary and middle-school education for girls
which will allow the women of the future to participate fully in developing the nation and most critically, adult literacy classes to teach basic reading and
math skills to adults who lacked the opportunity as children. 3) Healthy Families -- providing health care, training visiting nurses, encouraging early
immunizations and well-baby programs to reduce staggering infant and child mortality rates from preventable diseases. 4) Self Help Infrastructure --
programs which include the building of good roads to connect villages and the ability to provide clean drinking water by building simple but effective water
treatment facilities. 5) Micro credit loans -- made to entrepreneurs allowing them to start or grow small businesses. These are people normally turned away
by banks as bad prospects or unworthy of their business but micro loans can work wonders on a small scale, providing women and men with a way to feed
their families, the means to build a home for their children and provide hope for their future. This ability to provide for their families gives them dignity, and
dignity is a direct result of security.
The last statement above was made by one of the speakers, Prof. Adil Najam, who spoke at length on the duty of Pakistanis to help the land they left
because as he put it, the people in the audience were Pakistan’s greatest export: brain power. Prof. Najam provided some grim statistics on the rate of
literacy in Pakistan, along with a high infant mortality rate, and said that the people in the audience could continue to make a difference. He said that the
mission of HDF is actualizing and enabling development. He pointed out that some of the early beneficiaries of the program are now taking the reins of
leadership themselves..
The evening provided a social opportunity and a chance for the Pakistani community of Chicago to contribute in a meaningful way to a project that is
making a difference in carefully selected areas. With frequent visits by board members to the region (paid out of their own pockets) and a staff in the
country, the programs are monitored carefully for compliance. This is not a political organization, but it works with the cooperation of the Pakistani
government where required.
Other speakers and well wishers included an address by Dr. Aman Rashid, consul general of Pakistan and Congresswoman Malissa Bean. The HDF is
growing in large cities across America and there is thought being given to starting a chapter in Wisconsin. Anyone interested in finding out more about
starting a local chapter should contact either Gul Afshan, Afshan@msoe.edu or schenstr@msoe.edu. The final act, after fund raising concluded (and the
fund raising was quite successful) was a performance by Fakhir, which sadly, I had to miss, as the evening was late and I had to leave.
For more information, visit http://www.hdf.com/hdf/newasp/
by Debby Tewes
Unless you have been living in the proverbial cave lately, you cannot have
missed out on the campaign rhetoric being blasted over the airwaves about what is
wrong with America and which candidate will best succeed in righting the wrongs.
As we have all learned — or at least those of us who have lost some of the rose-
colored glasses type of idealism of our youth — the promises are so much like
pollen, blowing on the spring breezes, and they give some of us headaches
because we have heard it all before.
Real change doesn’t come from the top. It usually comes from those in the rank-
and-file who see a need and set out to fill the need. Or, they see a wrong and set
out to right it. Very rarely does a government decree accomplish any of this. Many
legislations create bureaucracies that ultimately lose sight of the goal. Money
ends up being spent for all the wrong things (i.e. bureaucrats’ salaries) and little
trickles down to those in need.
As has been all too prevalent in the news lately, we are seeing the blunders of
governments impacting their citizens in horrific ways. Power is intoxicating and
addictive. Author Amy Tan wrote, “You see what power is, holding someone else’s
fear in your hands and showing it to them!” The military rulers of Myanmar/Burma
are willing to allow thousands of their citizens to die by refusing to allow foreign-
aid workers into the country to distribute the humanitarian aid sitting at their border
for fear that the citizens will be “corrupted” by foreign ideas. Consequently, what
little aid has made it in, is not being distributed to those who need it most,but rather
Unless you have been living in the proverbial cave lately, you cannot have
missed out on the campaign rhetoric being blasted over the airwaves about what is
wrong with America and which candidate will best succeed in righting the wrongs.
As we have all learned — or at least those of us who have lost some of the rose-
colored glasses type of idealism of our youth — the promises are so much like
pollen, blowing on the spring breezes, and they give some of us headaches
because we have heard it all before.
Real change doesn’t come from the top. It usually comes from those in the rank-
and-file who see a need and set out to fill the need. Or, they see a wrong and set
out to right it. Very rarely does a government decree accomplish any of this. Many
legislations create bureaucracies that ultimately lose sight of the goal. Money
ends up being spent for all the wrong things (i.e. bureaucrats’ salaries) and little
trickles down to those in need.
As has been all too prevalent in the news lately, we are seeing the blunders of
governments impacting their citizens in horrific ways. Power is intoxicating and
addictive. Author Amy Tan wrote, “You see what power is, holding someone else’s
fear in your hands and showing it to them!” The military rulers of Myanmar/Burma
are willing to allow thousands of their citizens to die by refusing to allow foreign-
aid workers into the country to distribute the humanitarian aid sitting at their border
for fear that the citizens will be “corrupted” by foreign ideas. Consequently, what
little aid has made it in, is not being distributed to those who need it most,but rather
| (Clockwise from above) Arshia Hasnain; Navaid & Annie Abidi and Gul Afshan; Prof. Adil Najam; Dr. Aman Rashid, Consul General of Pakistan |
Debby Tewes is Asian
Wisconzine's
correspondent in the
Milwaukee area.
Wisconzine's
correspondent in the
Milwaukee area.