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Human development Foundation
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Mission:
The mission of the Human Development Foundation of North America is to facilitate
a non-political movement for positive social change and community empowerment through
mass literacy, enhanced quality of education, universal primary health care and
grassroots economic development in Pakistan and other locations
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Accomplishments
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HDF has sponsored hundreds of families
through its $15/month program. HDF supports over 2,000 schools in Pakistan, including
high schools, and has begun higher education for girls. HDF also helps thousands
of people through microcredit. Humanitarian and development efforts have helped
reduce the infant mortality rate by 60%. Other milestones include:
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- received matching funds from the
Canadian International Agency as well as the World Bank
- PDP Program after evaluation by
international experts
- provided clean drinking water to
60,000 people
- provided primary health care to
127,000 people in rural areas in Pakistan
- increased tetanus immunization
amongst women by 1300%
- increased complete immunization
amongst children by 100%
- conducted more than 160 teacher
training workshops and trained over 1,000 teachers
- conducted more than 25 adult female
literacy classes for 600 women
- conducted 150 seminars provided
scholarships to over 700 students
- provided financial assistance to
over 2,500 students
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New Initiatives related to
Women’s Education
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It has been difficult to attract female
villagers towards education due to many known and unknown reasons. The lack of local education facilities and certain ingrained cultural attitudes were the two main reasons, requiring special attention and incentives. Studying the matter, HDF came
up with some innovations in the area of female education, and two new programs were
designed. |
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Higher Education for Girls
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HDF runs a Non-Formal Basic Education
school in the region of Mardan. Each year, around 250 girls graduate from the primary
school, eager for further studies. Unfortunately, after passing the 5th grade, many
girls do not have the opportunity to pursue higher education, due to cultural and
economic factors.
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HDF came up with an idea that would enable these girls to continue their studies beyond primary school. The following
strategy has been devised:
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- The graduates from primary school
form groups called Educated Development
Organizations (EDO), each consisting of 30 students. Each EDO will enter into formal
partnership with HDF. EDO members meet at least once a month for a formal meeting
in which they discuss issues related to their education and finances.
- The students’ parents and HDF together
establish a Higher Education Center (HEC) for the students. Community members donated
the building and HDF takes the responsibility for furnishing it with necessary equipment
and desks. Each HEC starts with grade 6 and adds an additional grade each year as
students progress.
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curriculum includes computer
literacy, and girls are trained to use various software programs. Each HEC also
has at least one class in Home Economics weekly, where the girls learn how to sew,
stitch, embroider, cook, and master other tasks.
- Each EDO member is eligible for
at least three loans. The first loan is less than or equal to Rs. 5,000, and the
second and third loans are of Rs. 10,000 or less each. All such loans will be free
of interest.
- Parents of the EDO members and
HDF together buy baby goats or baby sheep for the EDO members as an investment.
The animals mature within 6 months, after which they are sold for a profit of two
and a half to three times the purchase price. The profit earned from these enterprises
are saved in the EDO savings till the time students pass their matriculation examination.
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The benefits of such a program are
numerous: hundreds of girls have an opportunity to matriculate from higher education
within a time period of 4 years; each graduate has at least Rs. 15,000-20,000 in
their account by the time they graduate; the girls’ marriages will have been delayed
at least until the time they pass their matriculation examination, thereby curbing
the population explosion to some degree. HDF plans to replicate this program in
Mardan as well as in 4 other regions.
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Sustainable Economic Literacy
for Female |
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HDF has initiated an adult literacy
program for females only. It is a 6-month program in which the first three months
are focused on mastery of a literacy primer and the other three months are spent
learning from follow up books. Classes are held six days per week, two hours per
day throughout the six month duration of the program. At the end of the program,
the newly literate women are able to read, write, and do basic arithmetic. |