HDO School in Khushal town
What We Do
Working Children Educational
Center
The number of children receiving even grammar-school education is very low in Pakistan, about 26%. In our target areas, it is even lower. Often, parents cannot afford the cost of education. They send their children to work, helping support the family. HDO focuses on educating those children who work in the factories and elsewhere. In the “Working Children Educational Center,” they learn reading, writing, and trhe wys of peace. W teach through playful activities like songs, poems and stories. They learn as a team, which change their behavior in the direction of civility and cooperation. They learn the value of education and are often stimulated to pursue it on their own after they leave our program. We see increased confidence in our students, as they mingle with other children of their own age. We strive to create interest and love for education, preparing children for further study and better citizenship.
Skill Development Program
We believe that skill is a good way for a person to eradicate his or her poverty. Our focus is on young women, where marketable skills levels are lowest. They often remain at home, cooking and cleaning the house, but with time to work and support the family if only they had marketable skills. For this, HDO has a program to train women in cosmetology and massage, where employment is available. Initially, the duration was three months, but now seeing interest, it has been extended to six months. Several of our students are already earning respectable incomes and their increased confidence has led to active roles in society.Inter-Faith Harmony
In the past few years, Pakistan has seen great tension between peoples of differing religions. If we are to become a civilized society, we need to pursue peace and harmony in spite of our differing beliefs. HDO has tried to bridge gaps by celebrating religious days together, such as Christmas, Eid-ul-Fitar, Eid-ul-Azha, and Easter. We encourage peaceful meetings to help develop acceptance, tolerance, and the concepts of love and peace.
We believe that peace and harmony among religions are requirements for reconciliation in our torn society. We work with the common people toward these ends, usually with children, youth and women in the target areas. We find the Middle Class less receptive to tolerance. We focus on boys and girls with activities like making peace slogans and performing plays. And because women play a vital role in personality development of children, we teach them the deeper meaning of peace, tolerance and interfaith harmony. In this way, children learn at home and in our programs the value of peace and non-violence.
In recent months, we have shifted our attention primarily toward Peace. Please see the section titled, “Peace in the Next Generation.”
Traditional Birth Attendant
Training Program
Many Pakistani women cannot afford to have their babies delivered at a hospital, or they prefer childbirth by Dais (home birthing with a nurse’s help). Many of these “nurses” are not competent when complications arise, leading to many casualties. HDO provides prenatal training for mothers and professional training for nurses who cannot afford it from the schools. We thereby help women to develop careers, while providing better care for mother and baby.
Mobile Medical Camps
HDO sometimes provids health care far from our home office. In these pictures, HDO has set up a free medical camp in Balakot in the Northwest Frontier Province, NWFP, following the major earthquake of October 8, 2005 which changed the face of this region. We arranged relief camps for earthquake victims, collected four trucks to haul in supplies, cooperated with Government Social Welfare Department, and provided medicines, tents, food, blankets, clothes, shoes, and also money.
We arrange mobile camps in rural areas. One such camp provided polio vaccinations in collaboration with the Health Department, Government of Pakistan. Families brought their children, and approximately 856 received vaccinations. Most of them could not have traveled to a hospital or afforded the cost.
HDO arranged an eye medical camp in the target area. Eye specialists checked the patients and gave them medicines. Many were referred to the hospitals for operations. 192 people received eye treatment.
HDO Medical Center
HDO has established a medical center that provides basic health care to poor people of rural and slum areas. Patients come to the center for basic treatments and to get medicines at very low cost.
Due to insufficient medical facilities in the poor areas, people are forced to use doctors who are not well qualified. Sometimes, instead of getting cured they get complications. We try to provide them with basic care at very low cost.
International Women's Day
HDO conducted a program at the Community Centre in Chaman Zar Colony, Faisalabad, to celebrate the efforts of women. Thirty men came to show their support for the eighty women attending on this special day. People from different lifestyles participated in the program. The speakers emphasized that women should not be ignorant, but well aware of their rights and duties. Today’s woman knows her destination and is working with men in many fields. These messages may seem obvious in most of the world, but in Pakistan, men and women need to hear them.