Hashoo Foundation and Rotary Club Islamabad Margalla

Distributed 31,954 Books Donated by Rotary Books for the World

2012

Pakistan, March 2012.- Book Distribution in Pakistan of the First Container Donated by Rotary Books of the World and The Second Wind Foundation

Project Description The partnership between Rotary Books for the World Project, The Second Wind Foundation, and Rotary Club of Islamabad Margalla was announced during the Rotary Bookleggers International Summit in Houston. Charlie and Barbara Clemmons, Founders of the Rotary Books for the World and President Second Wind Foundation, signed the MOU, which defines the relationships, duties, and covenants made between these three parties. The Second Wind Foundation, hereafter called Second Wind, has the administrative and financial responsibility for the Rotary Books for the World program. Cristal Montañéz, Executive Director of the Hashoo Foundation USA made a presentation on the status of the HF Schools and the need for books to promote literacy and education in Pakistan. Project Details

A 40-foot container filled with books for the Hashoo Foundation (HF) 's Schools, the Rotary Club of Islamabad Margalla adopted schools and other educational institutions in Pakistan was shipped by Rotary Books for the World and Second Wind Foundation.

Under this program, books and other educational materials were donated without charge and shipped to Islamabad under the restrictions and agreements provided. Hashoo Foundation/Rotary Club of Islamabad Margalla are referred to as the Distributor and have agreed to distribute the donated resources to the needy in Pakistan free of charge.

Sorting of the Books

Hashoo Foundation received the container on June 30, 2011, filled with approximately 31,954 books of different levels and educational material to promote literacy and education in Pakistan.

HF formed a team of volunteers comprising 15 people to sort the books.

For three weeks the volunteers categorized the books; Mathematics School, College and University Level,English Literature, German Language, English Language for all levels, Biology & Science , Computer Science, Engineering, Misc., School kits, CD, DVD and videotape / cassettes.

Rotary Books for the World Distribution in Schools and Educational Institutions in Pakistan 31,954 books donated by Rotary Books for the World were distributed by Rotary Club Islamabad Margalla and Hashoo Foundation to Youth Development Centers (YDCs), HF Schools and other educational institutions and organization across the country.

1. Mountain Institute for Educational Development (MIED)

MIED Pakistan is a national NGO aiming and working to improve the quality of education in Pakistan. It is registered under the Societies Act.1860 and has been awarded NPO certification by Pakistan Centre of Philanthropy (PCP).

MIED was established in 2003 when likeminded educationists committed to bring about educational change in the country. MIED is governed by an Executive Committee (BoG) headed by a Chairman and an Executive Director (who is the lead Founder of the

organization), followed by a Management Committee, comprised of working professionals and education managers. For the implementation of the educational projects, MIED management employs quality educational leaders who work as mentors for the project team and ensure result based management of project activities. For the implementation of its educational programs (school improvement and ECCD), MIED has been working with various organizations since 2004. MIED's specialized programs include, but are not specific to:

1. School Improvement Program (SIP) 2. Early Childhood Care and Development (ECCD) 3. School Heads and Teachers' capacity building 4. Community Mobilization in Education 5. Fast Track Secondary Education (FTSE) 6. Non Formal Education (NFE) 7. Institutional Capacity building of other organizations

The contribution of Rotary and HF through the donation of library books as learning resources furthers MIED's objective of quality education. HF distributed 2,850 books on different subject including Biology, Mathematic, English literature, communication, novels and general knowledge as well as 300 CDs on science.

MIED has over 350 project areas in different localities where approximately 2,000 teachers receive training on a quarterly basis. These trainings are mainly designed to enhance the English, Science, Mathematics and Pedagogical knowledge. “The books

donated to MIED from HF add value not only to training process in MIED's project areas, but also play a vital role in developing reading habits of teachers, teacher educators, project managers and students”, said a teacher.

The strategy for Effective Utilization of the books was based on the MIEDs management decision; the books were distributed among the projects in the following manner: The target groups/readers are as follows: 1. School teacher in project areas 2. Teacher Educators in SIP 3. Project Mangers SIP 4. Students of SIP Schools in project areas 5. MIED management acknowledges and thanks Rotary Books for the World and HF, particularly Shukoor Ullah Baig, Program Officer Education and Mr. Nusrat, Liaising Officer, for the contribution of books to MIED.

MIED's leadership further stated “We would like to bring to the notice of the management of HF that MIED needs and regards more such support and donation of books to our schools. Our continuous working relationship plays a vital role in benefitting unattended children, their communities and teachers in the remotest regions of Pakistan”.

2. Regional Office Gilgit (ROG)

YDC Gilgit was established in August 2005 for the students of Gilgit studying at different colleges, schools and universities. Its small library became very popular, but its limited stock left much to hope for. Unfortunately, lack of funds ensured that no new additions could be made to the shelves. HF remedied this situation by distributing 3,013 new books to their library.

3. Regional Office Chitral (ROC)

The Hashoo Hostel in Joghor, District Chitral was setup to provide accommodation for male and female students from remote areas. It also creates an ideal environment for introducing co-curricular activities. Presently there are 60 students residing at the institute.

With the help of the generous donation of books the Hostel now has a well-stocked library with over 3,104 books. The boarders expressed their gratitude for establishing this facility for them and are actively utilizing the knowledge resource.

4. Society for Human Empowerment and Rural Development (SHER), District Khushab, Punjab

Society for Human Empowerment and Rural Development (SHER) is working in Health, Education and Micro Credit sectors to promote Human Development. SHER has focused on both formal and non-formal education programs in all three Tehsils of Khushab.

Health units are being run by SHER, which provide basic health services to the village of MithaTiwana. Females are given loans for income generating purposes.

Hashoo Foundation distributed 4,512 books to SHER School System at a Book Fair.

President SHER in his welcome address appreciated Rotary and Hashoo Foundation for donating the valuable knowledge resource.

5. Umeed-e-Noor Center for Special Children (UEN)

The HF team organized a book distribution ceremony at UEN in which 916 books were donated to the center including children's activity and curriculum related books.

Umeed-e-Noor is a nonprofit organization committed to the welfare of children with special needs. It provides high quality continuous care, dedicated to the needs of these children. Their program includes regular schooling, speech therapy, physiotherapy, counseling and advisory support to their parents.

6. Pamir Public School & College Chitral

HF distributed 798 books including Mathematics (reference books), Literature (English), German (Language), Novels, Biology, English (Language), and 2 CD sets to the school. The library now has a large collection of books on various topics.

Pamir Public School and Degree College Booni, Chitral is a prestigious English medium educational institution established by Pamir Educational Society in March 1992. The aim of the institution is to provide quality education to all sections of society. Approximately 900 students from distant valleys of upper Chitral are enrolled at the school. 7. Ehsaas Foundation School Islamabad (Rural)

HF provided Ehsaas Foundation School with 1,002 books and 2 CD sets for their library. The Ehsaas Foundation School was established by Chairperson Mrs. Shaukat in 1996.At present the school is from Play-group to Matriculation level. They have 470 students and a staff of 30.

Approximately 70% of their students are getting free education. The Chairperson of Ehsaas Foundation School was very grateful for the donation, she thanked the Rotary and the HF team and mentioned that these books will surely add to the knowledge of the students.

8. Foresight School System Rawalpindi

HF distributed Foresight School System with 2,245 books. The Foresight Institute for Education and Leadership Development (FIELD) is a non-profit and non-governmental organization registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan. Their mission is to facilitate affordable and sustainable quality education in line with cultural values, norms and contextual realities for different age groups.

Expressing her gratitude one of the teachers said that its their vision to enable their students to become self-motivated learners and these books will surely help in achieving this goal.

9. Rawalpindi Grammar High School Rawalpindi

The HF team distributed 621 books and a set of CDs to the school. The Rawalpindi Grammar High School is an English medium educational institution in Rawalpindi, Punjab. Currently 385 students are enrolled in this school. The existing library was small and under-stocked.

The Principal of the school expressed her deepest gratitude to Rotary Club and mentioned that these books will inculcate the reading habit among students, which is first step towards self-learning.

10. Yasin Falcons Forum library (District Ghizer)

Yasin Falcons Forum is working on basic education in District Ghizer, Gilgit Baltistan. The establishment is a one room facility which is used to house a collection of books.

Students from over 10 schools and two colleges utilize this makeshift library. The HF team distributed 1,680 books to the library.

Forum management and people of the area are very thankful for the donations of the books.

11. National University of Modern Languages (NUML) Islamabad The mission of the National University of Modern Languages is to establish, sustain and enhance itself as a quality-centric higher education institution that provides excellent academic environment and opportunities for creating educated, productive and responsible citizens of Pakistan.

The NUML Governance department was provided books related to Public Administration, Public Policy, Organizational Behavior, Accountability etc.

The Head of Department, Maj. Gen (R) Syed Usman Shah thanked the donors for providing these educational books and assured that NUML students and teachers will greatly benefit from them.

12. Burn Hall College for Girls Abbottabad, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK)

13. Youth Development Center (Boys & Girls) and HDRC The Regional Office Rawalpindi team visited the distribution center and selected more than 8,000 books for 13 HF schools, Youth Development Centers (boys and girls) and Human Recourse Centre (YDC), Rawalpindi. The students at the YDCs were very excited to see these books and are actively utilizing them.

Role and Participation of Rotary Club of Islamabad Margalla Hashoo Foundation sorted and categorized the books with the help of members of the Rotary Club of Islamabad Margalla and HF volunteers. President, Ex Chairman and members of Board of Directors of Rotary Club of Islamabad Margalla visited the site and inspected the books, education material and sorting process.

A detailed work plan was developed in collaboration with Rotary Club of Islamabad Margalla and joint action was initiated for the distribution of the books. It was decided that these books would be distributed amongst the Hashoo Foundation Educational Programs, HF Schools, Youth Development Centers (YDC) and Human Development Resource Center (HDRC) Rawalpindi, Gilgit and Chitral, and Rotary sponsored educational institutions, schools, colleges and universities in Pakistan.

The Rotary Club of Islamabad Margalla helped in the identification of educational institutions and also helped in the distribution of books/education material to respective educational institutions.

Challenges Clearing Customs

Customs regulations require detailed documentation for clearing goods to prove that the goods are for donation purposes and not for commercial use. The clearance also requires the presence of a person dedicated to see that the process went smoothly. HF assigned staff to avoid charges for delaying clearance. An agent was also hired to clear consignment for a fee of US $1,081 (Rs. 93,000). The transportation of books to remote areas where educational institutions were located also created a challenge. However, this was dealt with the help of regional offices and other organizations.

Impact and Need for Books in Pakistan

Rotary Books for the World provided books to educational institutions in Pakistan without charge. Many Pakistani educational institutions are in dire need of up to date books and educational material. Quality books are expensive; as a result teachers have to rely on out dated books. Due to unavailability of resources schools are deprived of modern techniques of learning.

At present, the collection of books donated by Rotary Books for the World has enriched the libraries of many institutions with new books. Now all reference books, novels, language books, activity books and CDs are available under one roof. These libraries are also accessible to the general public. This collection will be helpful in improving the reading habits of students. It will bring a definite change in their knowledge and vision. It will not only broaden their outlook towards the world, but will also improve their academic performance.

Rotary Club is spreading the light of education and improving the literacy rate in Pakistan. Their donation is highly applauded and praised by all the organizations.

For more information, contact: Cristal Montañéz Baylor, Executive Director cristalmontanez@hashoofoundationusa.org Direct +1 713 483-4990 www.hashoofoundationusablog.org