Welcome readers to the third issue of e-Chronicles of Hashoo Foundation (HF). This issue highlights the variety of activities held during the month of February. It has successfully played a vital role in encouraging staff to participate in and grasp the activities happening all over Pakistan under Hashoo Foundation's umbrella. This newsletter is an outcome of the collaborative efforts of various departments. Our dedicated teams discuss the ongoing activities and provide constructive suggestions regarding what the newsletter can include. In response, the e CHRONICLES Monthly Staff Newsletter March 2014 Issue No. 3 editorial team conducts the peer review process to determine which articles are relevant, technically sound and well written. We request our readers to email their valuable views and suggestions in order to improve our future editorial process. Happy reading! Editorial Team In This Edition Editors: Content Writer: Graphic Designer: Saeed-Ur-Rehman & Shenaila Nadeem Momina Abrar Mazhar Yaseen EDITORIAL TEAM Chairperson: Country Director: Director Programs: CCFO & Director Operations: Sarah Hashwani Ali Akbar Aqeel Nawaz Khan Sulaiman Dhanani 2014 LEADERSHIP Editor's Note Hashoo Foundation's Strategic Plan 2014 - 2018 Hashoo Foundation is in the process of developing its five years' strategic plan (2014-2018). One of the key steps was to finalize the organization's strategic framework and its thematic and geographic focus. For this purpose, HF organized a three day participatory visioning workshop on February 6-8, 2014. The key staff members and the governing body were engaged in the participatory process, which was divided into three main categories namely Learning, Visioning and Validation. In the Learning process, the lessons learnt from the past years were drawn, analysed and summarized. The findings were fed into the visioning process, which helped to finalize the envisioned strategic goals in light of HF's Charter and Global Strategic Framework. In order to finalize the thematic focus, the inputs were drawn with the help of Situational Analysis, Donors' Mapping, HF's Current Themes and BOT propositions. A three-pronged selection and ranking process was adopted as the methodology to build the programme focus. Each theme was pre-filtered in terms of its need, HF's current position and potential funding. To finalize the geographic focus, each potential targeted district was identified with the help of Donors' Mapping, HF's Current Geographic Outreach and District Security Index. The validation process involved obtaining the leadership's perspectives on the proposed goals, thematic and geographic focus for the next five years. The Patron-in-Chief, Mr. Saddruddin Hashwani and the Chairperson of Hashoo Foundation, Ms. Sarah Hashwani also graced the occasion with their presence. As a next step, a thorough thematic planning (including development of logic models, strategic objectives & key milestones) will take place in upcoming thematic workshops. Chairperson: Ms. Sarah Hashwani and the HF Team during the Visioning Workshop in Marriott Hotel, Islamabad. Thar Drought Response 2014 In response to the drought in Tharparkar, Sindh in Pakistan, Hashoo Foundation has decided to launch an emergency response program which will cater to the food and health needs of the affected population. HF, with its successful and effective dealings with emergency situations during the previous relief and recovery phase of earthquake, conflict IDPs crisis and floods, seeks to capitalize and provide relief assistance in the affected area of Thar. A response team was formed in the Core Office in March 2014 to provide effective humanitarian assistance in Tharparkar, Pakistan. The team consists of 04 team members namely, Dr. Zahoor ud Din, Hassan Mehmood Shah, Saleem Ullah Baig and Nasir Hussain. The team shall visit the affected area to identify community needs through a rapid needs assessment. The team shall provide a continual self- evaluation of the situation and ensure the effective implementation of HF's activities in Thar. The Emergency Response Team will be responsible for organizing Mobile Health Camps and to ensure effective distribution of food packages among 500 identified affected families. In addition to monetary resources, HF also aims to provide human resources, both at the operational level (field activities) and organizational support level (at HF core office) to the drought affected population. Those born in March, are natural philosophers, teachers and perfectionists. They have a phenomenal intuition and rely more on their perception in dealing with day to day matters. People born in March are known for their sensitivity, creativity and artistic values. They are intelligent and clever people, who strive for the better things in life. They love to travel and are honest and trustworthy by nature. Working with peace and serenity, is their success formula. They are commonly known for being great listeners and love to serve others, as long as they are appreciated for their kindness. Just as everyone has bad qualities, people born in March are moody. Although they are acquainted with a large number of people, they seldom share personal matters with others. They love to be the center of attention and are vulnerable to anger. They also make spontaneous decisions and expect everyone to abide by them. We wish all of our March-born employees the best of everything. Stay Blessed! Birthday Bites Hidden Talents We invite you to embellish the cover page of our newsletter with a photograph of a beneficiary. The photo should demonstrate high spirit, energy and enthusiasm. We will publish it as the cover photo and provide individual recognition to the team member. Please share high resolution pictures only and do not forget to submit a duly signed consent form. Copyright © 2014 Hashoo Foundation Publication. All rights reserved. www.hashoofoundation.org Hashoo Foundation Pakistan House #7-A, St # 65, F-8/3 Islamabad, Pakistan Tel: +92 51 228 7712-16 Fax: +92 51 228 7718 Hashoo Foundation USA 9575 Katy Freeway, Suite 490 Houston, TX 77024 Tel: +1 713 483 4990 Fax: +1 713 759 0787 Hashoo Foundation UK 1, Berkeley Street London W1J8DJ Note: Facts and opinions contained herein are the sole responsibility of the persons expressing them and should not be attributed to anyone else herein. Feedback is welcome and shall be given special attention by the team. Every piece of information is based/developed upon the facts provided to the e-Chronicles team. 50 Bright Students Awarded In late January, more than 50 scholarships worth PkR One Million along with Letters of Commendation were awarded to students enrolled under Hashoo Foundation's Scholarship Program 2013. In recognition of their outstanding academic performance, the scholarships were distributed equally among young men and women. Each year, the commended students are awarded on the basis of a nationally applied Selection Index, conferred by Higher Education Commission (HEC) Pakistan. The Hashoo Foundation's Scholarship Program began in 2004. It is open to all students who meet the entry requirements and thus the highest achieving students are designated as National Merit Scholars. We are pleased to share that Ms. Shenaila Nadeem joined Hashoo Foundation in March, 2014, as Manager Communications. Shenaila is a certified Neuro Linguistics Programming Practitioner, she has an MA Social Sciences Degree and an MSc Marketing from Scotland. Shenaila has extensive work experience from both Scotland and Pakistan. Before joining Hashoo Foundation, she worked in a number Welcome to the New Staff of roles within the Corporate and Education sectors, including that of Digital Marketing Consultant, Trainer and Lecturer for the University of London's external BSc program in Islamabad. Shenaila is passionate about development work and looks forward to making a unique contribution as Manager Communications, together we make a difference! HF participated in the Internship Expo 2014, organized by Bahria University, Islamabad on March 05, 2014. Career counseling, relevant trades for internship and walk-in interviews were among the prominent features of the event. The mission was to brief and attract competent students/graduates towards the HF internship program, in May 2014. Interested students were explained the eligibility criteria and were provided with application forms. It was duly noted, that many students showed great interest in working with the Foundation on a voluntary basis. Bahria University also shared their interest to collaborate with HF in order to develop a degree program in Hotel Management. The day ended with a concluding ceremony and the participants were presented with shields of participation. Similarly, an Internship Expo was organized by the university administration of LUMS to bring its talent towards the corporate and development world on February 27, 2014. The HF team provided the relevant internship program information to the interested students. More than fifty students from various disciplines visited HF's stall and were provided with informative literature, such as the organizational profile, internship and training brochures. Students discuss employment prospects with Hashoo Foundation's representatives at the Internship Expo held at LUMS on Thursday. Hashoo Foundation Opens the Doors of Opportunity Hashoo Foundation received a grant of USD 889,705 from USAID-Food For Peace (FFP) to provide emergency food assistance to more than 21,700 off-camp Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), residing in Kohat Kurram Agency through the distribution of 3,100 food vouchers. HF launched its voucher programme in 2013, with the aim of supporting the families that are in need of food assistance and boosting the local economy. The vouchers distributed among the families enabled them to redeem food items from participating local shops. The relief included basic food items that were necessary for the off-camp IDPs located in Kohat. “The community is very happy to state that it can access food this month mainly because of the food vouchers provided by the Project. Now we are in a position to obtain the available food easily. I am very grateful to Hashoo Foundation for its continued support to the neglected community of Kurram Agency. This contribution strengthens Hashoo Foundation's partnership with USAID in protecting Kurram Agency's most vulnerable people” remarked a beneficiary of USAID-FFP Program being implemented in District Kohat. HF aims to strengthen its continued support to the vulnerable population in the off-camp settings and operate autonomously and effectively. The uniqueness of the project lies in reaching out to the off-camp Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs)/neglected communities and developing effective market linkages for them. An off-camp IDP shows the food voucher booklet received from Hashoo Foundation's representatives. Young Women in Gilgit-Baltistan, Benefit from ECD Program Youth is the foundation of sustainable development. The early years of life are crucial for an individual's cognitive, emotional and physical development. The events which occur in this particular age-group, play a vital role in building human capital, promoting economic productivity and eliminating social inequities. Therefore, Hashoo Foundation works with individuals, communities and other stakeholders to design and implement an ECD (Early Childhood Development) program to help youth to reach their full potential. HF initiated an Early Childhood Development Training program for young female graduates of Gilgit, Baltistan in collaboration with Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ). HF aims to support the families of 240 candidates by providing easy access to quality early childhood care and education. To date, a great number of applications have already been received. Whereas, a batch of 60 participants have already been registered in the current training session, effective from March, 2014. A glimpse of the training session designed and implemented for young female graduates of Gilgit-Baltistan HF's Intervention is Highly Appreciated by Kohat Residents MoU Signed Between Hashoo Foundation and Ceena Welfare A Memorandum of Understanding has been signed between Hashoo Foundation and CEENA Health and Welfare Services on January 01, 2014. The MoU aims to explore possible collaborations on curriculum development, cognitive and social growth of students. HF in collaboration with CEENA Health and Welfare Services, aims to provide financial support to the deserving students in top ranked Higher Education Commission (HEC) recognized universities. Thus together, they will provide financial support to students to facilitate their academic fee, hostel accommodation, transport fee and other education expenses. Director Programmes, Aqeel Nawaz Khan (HF) and Chairman, Sher Baz Khan (CEENA) during the MoU signing ceremony Shenaila Nadeem Manager Communications Brilliance Unmatched! Hashoo Foundation has implemented a Skills Development project in Nar Sher Ali Khan, District Bagh in Azad Jammu & Kashmir. It provided certified training programs to help practitioners reach a high level of proficiency. The project was designed to impart training within ten different trades. The Foundation is registered and is in close coordination with AJK TEVTA for certification of the graduates. The nationally recognized completion certificate is a mandatory requirement for the successful trainees. It enables them to find appropriate jobs in the local or international market. The month of March involved both internal and external trainee evaluations. A total of eighty-one trainees from different trades and batches were evaluated via a thorough examination process, conducted under the supervision of TEVTA. Building on their superior performance, it was a mark of achievement for Hashoo Foundation to have a 100% overall pass rate for its 2014 session. The percentage of trainees achieving grade 'A' was 88.6%. The examination statistics of TEVTA are shared below: Graph illustrates “Establishment of Two Human Development Centers” Project evaluation statistics of 2014 batch Layyah Empowered Through Livelihood The 4th Project Steering Committee Meeting on the project titled: “Community Empowerment through Livelihood,” was held in it’s office in Layyah on February 28th, 2014. The aim of the meeting was to review the progress of the CELD project and discuss the ways in which to tackle the bottlenecks. The meeting initiated with a detailed presentation from the project manager on the progress achieved and the way forward to formally conclude the project. Hashoo Foundation has initiated the process of installing three chillers each within three dairy business centers owned by Community Based Organizations (CBO).This shall be completed by mid of March 2014. It was also proposed that HF should remain in Layyah rather than phase out after the project conclusion, to oversee the successful operations of the dairy business centers, while increasing its geographic focus in Southern Punjab. The HF team visited the site to meet the community members and obtain their feedback about HF's interventions. Ms. Fozia from Hamlet Siari, in Layyah was among the 1200 beneficiaries who undertook the dairy farming training and she later became a Livestock Extension Worker (LEW) in the area. Ms. Fozia was provided with a kit for the vaccination and medication of livestock by the CBOs, which enabled her to practice the acquired skills more efficiently. “Now, I can earn more money per month by visiting 4-5 customers monthly to vaccinate their animals, in addition I have increased my income from improved milk production of 12-14 liters of milk at a time.” Ms. Fozia charges Rs. 200 from each of her customers for vaccinating their animals. “HF has helped me to become the captain of my own ship”, exclaims Ms.Fozia, with tears of joy in her eyes. Training dairy farmers, extension workers, and milk collectors at Layyah, Salman Ali Senior Network Administrator March 28 Sher Sahib Khan Office Helper March 20 Aqeel Nawaz Khan Director Programmes March 23 Aman Shah Store Keeper March 18 Fouzia Qazi Sakhi Manager MER March 04 Mazhar Yaseen Graphic Designer March 04 Editor's Note Hashoo Foundation's Strategic Plan 2014 - 2018 Thar Drought Response 2014 Hashoo Foundation Opens the Doors of Opportunity Young Women in Gilgit-Baltistan, Benefit from ECD Program HF's Intervention is Highly Appreciated by Kohat Residents 50 Bright Students Awarded MoU Signed Between Hashoo Foundation and Ceena Welfare Welcome to the New Staff Brilliance Unmatched! Layyah Empowered Through Livelihood Birthday Bites Hidden Talents