As they describe themselves, Aman Foundation is a local, not-for-profit trust, based and operating in Karachi, Pakistan. Inspired by a proactive commitment to the cause of human development, the Foundation aspires to make strategic interventions in the country supporting development in the areas of healthcare, sports, nutrition, education and skills.
“We started here in 2008, with the goal of laying a foundation on which future generations can continue to build,” says Ahsan Jamil, CEO and Founding Trustee of Aman Foundation. “A sense of the old and the new, working together for a more progressive Pakistan.”
In their attempt to serve the cause of human development in Pakistan, the foundation and its members aspire:
To create high social impact and prove that change can be achieved in a sustainable way.
Form a collaborative platform comprising of leading social sector players, in order to create the maximum impact in areas of Health, Education and Nutrition.
To attract international social sector funding that is consistent with and fulfils the developmental needs of Pakistan.
To achieve the set benchmarks the Foundation has initiated various different projects including: AMANGHAR, AMANAMBULANCE, AMANTELEHEALTH, AMANTECH, AMANSPORTS, AMANCULTURE and Teach for Pakistan.
AMANGHAR was started in September 2008 to provide hygienic and nutritionally balanced meals to 3,400 children per day in an economically deprived peri-urban Karachi community. The project is aimed at improving child healthcare statistics through the distribution of nutritious foods in the most-deprived areas of the country.
AMANAMBULANCE is a re-defined ambulatory care service, fulfilling the role of Emergency Medical Services. Aman has also set up a Tele-health service aptly named AMANTELEHEALTH, a call centre service with medical advisers and doctors that provide diagnostic services and advice over the phone 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
In the education sector, AMANTECH is Aman’s state-of-the-art vocational training institute and their Teach for Pakistan initiative is an innovative training program in which teaching professionals commit two years to teach in under-resourced schools. AMANCULTURE is also an educational initiative that aims to exploit the arts as a resource to enrich higher learning.
Many of the foundation’s philanthropic ventures are managed by young professionals, often returning to Pakistan with foreign degrees and experiences. Each bringing with them a fresh and dynamic approach to sustainable development, and a sense of giving back to their community.
“A lot of our permanent staff comprises of talented youth because we believe it is they who have the experience, the education and the exposure to take these challenges head-on,” says Jamil. “It is the new generation that brings with them the passion to inspire hope in this country at a time when we perhaps need it most.”
With the virtuous aim of enhancing both the quality of infrastructure and the standard of living of every citizen in the country, Aman Foundation’s work has made a positive impact on thousands of lives each day since its inception in 2008.
It is only through the commitment of humanitarian organizations like Aman, that the underdeveloped strata’s of this society will be able to make the dream of sustainable growth and a progressive Pakistan a reality.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2012