Empowering Women Today , to Let them Own the World Tomorrow
“We envisage an ethical, equitable, inclusive and progressive society in which people live with dignity and have power over their own lives” – Hasho Foundation Vision Statement-
Our mission is to enable and empower communities to be independent by facilitating equitable access to opportunities. Hasho Foundation Mission Statement-
From these two statements comes my vision about the volunteering experience with Hasho Foundation USA.
To change effectively, questions should be there. “What are these women doing?” That was the question that Sarah Hashwani raised -Chair of the inspirational Hashoo Foundation (HF), and the answer was that they are “selling honey”.
As a well reputed nonprofit organization, Hasho Foundation decided to be part of the question and to offer practical answer by empowering these women to lead a better life full of work, dignity and human aspects.
Volunteering in Culture Shock Charity Show for Plan Bee 2013, curves the human awareness of a girl from Egypt, who dreams of empowering women in a positive way through funding their small projects.
In this experience, it has been noticed that both Hasho Foundation’s vision and mission have been applied .By raising the funds to a theatrical show that is arranged by five high schools students in Houston, the Foundation buys the needed equipments for almost 22 Pakistani women to help them to lead a human life by working and producing honey.
Honey of life this is the vision of this experience. On one hand, assisting those Pakistani Ladies to work and earn their living with dignity goes with the Foundation main vision and mission, and gives credibility to its presence in community. Not only has this, the continuous dedication of its Executive Director in USA, Cristal Montanez, provided a typical positive image of how a civilized woman should be.
It is a surprise to share the Project funds and sources with public people in a way to increase credibility. While raising the fund to that project, people were participating with a smile of trust to see the numbers in front of their eyes.
Empowering women cannot be attained by words or just by offering money. It is a deeper mission that needs clarity of vision and determination to achieve both short term and long term goals.
“Education is the passport to the future; for tomorrow belongs to people who prepare for it today”. When reading these words of Malcolm X , it can be noticed that these women will have the chance by the Hasho foundation empowering to send their children to schools to receive their education and own the world of tomorrow .
On the other hand, investing in Houston High Schools Students and letting them organize a show builds the leaders of tomorrow in USA. Students are effectively working together to make that project a remarkable experience.
Finally, raising a moral and human connection between all humanity of the world is the main aim. To transfer a practical message to everyone regardless of their, nationality, color, religion or political beliefs. Let’s Empower Women who are in need to Us. Let’s be their backbones to lead a better life full of work and dignity. Let’s be the source of safety to them and their children. This is how Hasho Foundation changes the world by empowering women which is only one of its main ways to apply its human and moral mission and vision as a nonprofit organization.
Thanks
Sara Afifi
Resources
http://www.hashoofoundation.org/
http://www.peter-leach.com/knowledge-base/family-business-and-family-office-insights/next-generation-leader-interview-sarah-hashwani/
https://www.facebook.com/CultureShockCharityShowForPlanBee?fref=ts
The impact Hashoo Foundation USA has globally, as well as personally, is priceless. Hashoo Foundation USA emphasizes the importance of helping fellow humans in need. The range of people positively affected by the foundations’ program includes both the volunteers and people served alike. The programs launched in high schools and colleges prove that the youth of our country, our future leaders, are ready to jump in head first in the fight to improve the quality of life for others. Hashoo Foundation USA provides a brighter tomorrow for our fellow brothers and sisters, today.
This organization is addressing aducational and socio-economic needs of people living in the most remote areas of Gilgit-Baltistan and Chitral through enterprise development initiatives and provides 100% education expenses of more the thousand underprivaledged children in Gilgit-Baltistan and Chitral.
To be a top rated nonprofit organization for Hashoo Foundation my personal experiences will elaborate what actually Hashoo Foundation does and what we are doing here at the foundation.
I have gone through several exciting and lesson learning experiences being a social welfare professional. I deal hundreds of poor and vulnerable families regarding their financial/medical/educational support what are usually provided by the Foundation as core humanitarian programme irrespective of any discrimination on grounds of race, gender, religion, region and language. Thousand of poor have been supported and are being supported by the Foundation. I become exciting and satisfied when poor come with a hop that they will be supported in their dire needs. I know many beneficiaries who totally depend on the financial support of the foundation as they have no other source of income to meet the ends. When I interview beneficiaries they look us as we are the last hope for them.
Let me share only one experience which I never forget. One day, a beneficiary came to the office who was seeking immediate financial assistance. She was a widow and worked as maid in different houses through which she was earning a menial income which was not sufficient to meet her domestic food expanses. She had one daughter. Her daughter was going to be married and she had nothing left in hand to arrange the marriage and dowry for her daughter. To give the dowry to her daughter was the main concern for her because an aging widow could only have given dowry with a set of some kitchen items and a trunk not a car/TV, Bungalow for which they would not have even dreamed. I personally looked into the detail and processed the case accordingly. At last, my observations and suggestions about her case were realized and granted some amount for the provision of the dowry. When I informed the widow that the Foundation would provide dowry, she was unbelievably excited and thanked to me as well as the Foundation. She was saying “one of my dreams was to get my daughter married and God listen me, then to give a dowry to my daughter was my last dream and Hashoo Foundation listen my last voice and fulfilled my last dream. Now, I left dreaming further and get ready for Graveyard”
After one month I called her for feedback she was not there. She had passed away few days before. She had really gone to Graveyard when she had told earlier. I shocked at first and thought that at least we had put into practice one of her dreams in her life.
Nasir Hussian (HF)
Hashoo foundation is doing great work in the sector of social welfare and community development. There are already many international awards in the credit of Hashoo Foundation.
I am working as a volunteer with Cristal Montanez Baylor since January of this year. My job in this foundation is as a member of the research and development committee. Since the beginning of my work, I spent much time looking for opportunities to funding the foundation’s project, “The Women Empowerment through Honey Bee Farming.” This year, the Hashoo Foundation plans to scale up based on the achievements of the activities implemented in 2007-2009, so I am looking for a grant to accomplish this project. The implementation strategy includes the empowerment and mobility of 100 women. This commitment will mobilize women into an economic environment and business setting bringing about a tremendous social change in the region in a country like Pakistan where women are confined to private spaces. This project will impact on 100 women and 800 dependents. At present, I am really excited to know that my research for funding this project has been successfully completed. At this time, I found five potentials grant sources whose programs match with the project needs, so I am planning to write a grant proposal for this summer. I expect to get funding for this community and to have the opportunity to see the happy faces of many Pakistani women who would have a second chance in their lives as a result of the grant. For many people, grant seeking is a hard work but infinitely rewarding. Certainly, this is a good project that helps people, so I cannot wait to see the fruits of my labor.
Hashoo Foundation is one of the most inspiring and noble organizations I have come across as a college student. The University of St. Thomas MicroCredit Program is grateful for the Hashoo Foundation's expertise and assistance in our initiative in the northern areas of Pakistan. I have no doubt that Hashoo Foundation will achieve great things in the future.