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Human
Development
Foundation |
Frequently Asked
Questions about HDF
Welcome to the FAQ section. We hope
that you will find this helpful. We
are still in the process of adding
to this section. If you have a question
that is not addressed in this section,
please
let us know.
This section is arranged into the
following areas:
- General questions
- Administrative questions
- Program related questions
- Financial questions
1. General Questions
How can
I get in touch with HDF?
Human Development Foundation is eager
to respond to your questions.
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to list of FAQs
2. Administrative Questions
Are the
board members in Pakistan and USA,
paid employees or volunteers?
The members of both Pakistan and
US boards not only work entirely on
a volunteer basis, but also don’t
get reimbursed for their expenses
when they travel for HDF related activities,
for example to make presentations
for fund raisers, board meeting or
even to Pakistan to visit the projects
etc. Furthermore, many of the board
members are major donors, too. Only
the actual staff members are paid
employees, both in HDF-P and HDF-US.
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What is
an HDF local network? How does one
develop a regional network?
The concept of regional networks
was adopted in keeping with our mission
statement of facilitating a grassroots
movement. The charter of HDF to "bring
about a positive social change and
community empowerment" is so
vast that it will be impossible for
a few individuals to accomplish it.
HDF is a humanitarian organization,
which seeks support from people of
all faiths and all walks of life.
Anyone who believes in the mission
of HDF is welcome to join in any of
the existing networks or to start
one themselves if there is no network
in the area and become a part of this
movement. At this time our networks
are really loosely structured. The
Board is reviewing the governance
and other issues in this area and
will finalize its recommendations
in Oct meeting. To develop a regional
network, enlist yourself as a volunteer
on our website, www.YesPakistan.com,
and we will mail you a Volunteer package.
This package will give you some more
information about the organization.
We also recommend you to visit Yespakistan.com
and get to know the organization.
Following is a brief outline for starting
a network. You are welcome to call
the office at any time and they will
put you in touch with the appropriate
people who can also help.
- After you develop a certain degree
of comfort level with the organization
and its projects invite a few like-minded
people and discuss this with them.
- Develop a core group of committed
people who are willing to contribute
their time and energies for the
cause.
- There will be more questions,
feel free to call us any time and
we’ll do our best to answer
them
- Distribute our print material
in the community to increase awareness
- After you have the core group,
organize a community awareness program.
Invite members of the community
to someone’s house or a restaurant
and make a presentation about the
organization. We can provide you
with some material for this. If
you don’t feel comfortable
in making a presentation yourself,
let us know and someone from the
central organization can come.
- Arrange a fund raising event.
We can provide you with a manual
on how to do this. You are also
welcome to call and we’ll
help you.
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to list of FAQs
What is
the relationship between the HDF board
in Pakistan and the board in the US?
Does the American board visit the
project sites?
The Board of Directors in Pakistan
will work in conjunction with the
Board in America. Six HDF members
currently serve on both the Pakistani
and American Board. This will allow
for an easy transition into the co-working
of the two boards. The Board in Pakistan
will supplement the Board in the US
and provide more human resources and
aid in organizing volunteers and starting
local networks and internship programs
in Pakistan. The Board in Pakistan
offers another layer of accountability,
strengthens the HDF mission of creating
a “broad-based leadership,”
and further connects the Human Development
Foundation with the people of Pakistan.
Many members of the Board in the US
individually visit Pakistan several
times a year. The Board’s co-chairs
visit the projects every quarter.
All donors, supporters, and all who
are interested are encouraged to visit
the sites at any time. All visitors
are requested to offer some about
the project sites and possible improvements.
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What are
the criteria and the process for selecting
members of the Board of Directors?
Individuals are chosen for membership
on the Board based on the following
criteria:
- Their commitment to the mission
and goals of HDF
- Their contributions to the organization
thus far in terms of time, energy,
and finances
- Their attendance at HDF meetings
and participation in discussions
that make one more
familiar with HDF and its workings
- Any special skills or resources
that they may bring to the table
- Their ability to donate time
to HDF
* An effort is made to maintain a
balance of the genders.
For a detailed description of the
process for the selection of the HDF
Board of Directors, please refer to
the HDF
Bylaws Article 4 – “Board
of Directors.”
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to list of FAQs
How can
I get involved with HDF? What opportunities
are available for volunteers?
Volunteers are the backbone and the
most precious asset of HDF. They carry
out many functions without any expectations
of reward. Without their help, dedication
and hard work the organization would
not have been able to achieve all
it has within a short time period.
One of the goals of HDF is to establish
traits of volunteerism and philanthropy
in our communities. There are many
opportunities for volunteering for
HDF here in the USA depending on your
time availability and skills, etc.
Our mission statement also calls for
"facilitating a grassroots movement
for a positive social change”,
which makes the participation by the
volunteers even more crucial for the
achievement of this goal.
Enlist with Human Development Foundation
and make a difference by:
- Help start a network in your community.
Ask the central office, who will
assist you in getting started by
sending you informational brochures,
and other HDF project-related media.
- Promote our “Sponsor a
Family Program”. Sign up for
sponsoring one or more families
for $15 a month per family. Encourage
other to do the same. This covers
the cost of providing education,
preventative health care, and micro-enterprise
for a family of eight in our projects
in Pakistan.
- Reside in Chicagoland? Volunteer
at our HQ for mailing, preparing
packages, and telephone answering
duties; become an Ambassador for
positive social change!
- Help with a fundraiser. If there
is an active HDF Network in your
area that is planning a fundraiser,
donate your time toward that fundraiser.
- Distributing our material in
local Islamic centers and community
events like Pakistan Day and Eid
Day programs.
- Outsource to your contacts in
the media! Help by getting HDF success
stories and articles into print
- Hold a community awareness event
at your home and talk about HDF
and what it does. The central office
will provide you with materials
for that. We can also get you in
touch with current volunteers who
can share their experience!
- We are always looking for good
writers! If you have writing skills,
contact the central office.
- Visit our website, www.YesPakistan.com,
participate in discussions, and
give us suggestions on improving
the site.
YES!
I WANT TO JOIN THE TEAM THAT IS MAKING
A DIFFERENCE.
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3. Program Related Questions
How does
HDF select a project site in Pakistan?
The criteria for the selection of
the project sites were alittle different
in the beginning than later on. HDF’s
first project was in Mardan. The reason
for this was that APPNA SEHAT was
already working in that area. The
community was familiar with the concept
of social mobilization and the organization
had some existing credibility in the
area. HDF had made a commitment to
have at least one project site in
all four provinces of Pakistan. The
site in Raheem Yar Khan (Punjab) was
selected because a donor pledged to
fund the site initially. Shamsabad
(Sind) was selected due to its proximity
with the SEAHT project in Badin. In
Baluchistan, the entry was difficult
due to the local customs and traditions.
So to overcome that hurdle, HDF built
a dam in Zhob. This was done with
the help of the community and with
the understanding that after the completion
of the dam, the community will help
us in establishing our usual intervention
i.e. education, health and economic
development.Regardless of the reasons
to start a project in a certain area,
there are some basic criteria that
must be met before starting a project.
A Feasibility Study is done on sites
that are candidates. The following
is a brief list of some of the criteria
for the Feasibility Study:
- The community falls within the
range of predetermined criteria
in terms of income level.
- Community is willing to commit
to the long-term project.
- There at least 1000 housholds
within a geagraphical area to make
it cost effective. This was one
of the challenges in Baluchistan
where the people live over a vastly
scattered area.
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How are
indigenous women involved in Human
Development Foundation?
Women are involved at several levels.
One of the main objectives of HDF
is to empower women by education,
income generation and skills training
programs. They are treated as equal
partners in HDF projects.
- There are female DO’s
along the same lines as the male
DOs. These DOs participate in the
management of the micro-credit program.
They also are part on the Parent
Teacher Associations and health
committees.
- There are 562 enterprises (established
through HDF micro-credit) owned
by female Development Organization
members in Pakistan.
- A total of 11 workshops were
held for women in different regions
on garments, live stock management,
poultry production.
- Women were lent Rs.196, 850.00
as of August 2002 toward Micro-Enterprise
credit programs.
- Local women with education are
trained as teachers for communities
by HDF-P.
- Women are an active part of our
Parent Teacher Associations and
Health Committees
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to list of FAQs
Can we get a picture and other particular
of the family who we are sponsoring
under "Sponsor a Family"
progem in Pakistan?
The answer is no. The simple reason
is that the $15 do not go to "a
family". This number is based
on the cost avereging. If you have
one of our family sponsor brochures,
we have written it on it, so that
people know up front about it. We
cannot do it for many reasons.
- The money is not given to a particular
family.
- This money does not go to fulfilling
the cost of maintaning one particular
family either.
I'll try to explain: For example
we have 100 families and the cost
is $1500 per month for education,
health and credit program. Some families
may need more credit, some may need
more education because they have more
children or people enrolled in the
adult literacy program and some may
need more health. So that each famliy
is not using all the services at the
same level. So the $1500 is divided
by the number of families and that
is how we arrive at this number per
family. It is more
for people to understand the cost
effectiveness of the program and relate
to their own expenses in this country,
so they can appreciate that with so
little money they can make a difference.
The other reasons that are important
are:
- It will be almost impossible
to picture women and girls due to
cultural restrictions.
- It is really an insult to the
family or an individual to advertise
their need and poverty.
- We don't want people in our projects
to feel that they are recieving
charity from someone in America.
We want to promote the concept of
partnership and self help.
- The cost of the program will
go up many folds, if we start taking
pictures and mailing to thousnads
of family sponsors.
- Think of the impact this will
have on the self respect of the
people in our projects.
If there are any further questions,
Please feel free to ask.
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4. Financial Questions
How much
money was spent on developing YesPakistan.com?
Why?
Yespakistan.com was developed as
a part of comprehensive “Community
Mobilization Program” in year
2002. The cost of this program was
$145,000. This program included development
of a web portal, YesPakistan.com.
Beyond the actual website and the
verification of its contents, this
amount covers a weekly electronic
newsletter; the writing of the articles
seen on the site and in the newsletter;
the use of consultants in developing
a marketing plan for the web site;
and the designing of brochures, posters,
convention booths, and other materials
used to advertise YesPakistan.com.
It also included a strategy for making
more visible at various community
events at the national level e.g.
ISNA & APPNA convention
The plan was the creation of an engaging
site that warrants repeat-viewers
and fosters a virtual community of
Pakistanis and like-minded people
who now come together to think through
and discuss the needs, trials, and
triumphs of Pakistan. To this end
the articles on the site are frequently
changed and kept up to date; the site
now has a virtual calendar which anyone
can use to advertise their events;
and there is a web directory to which
all Pakistani organizations and businesses
are invited to post their contact
information and websites. For more
detail see the Managers
Discussion Form 990 (2001) on
this topic. And please visit YesPakistan.com
and give us your comments.
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HDF
Clarifies Itself from NCHD, PHDF
- Does HDF get
any financial support from Pakistan
Government?
- Who are HDF, HDFNA,
NCHD, PHDF, and HDF Pakistan?
- What is the difference
between HDF and NCHD?
- Is there any sharing
of funds between PHDF & HDF?
- Is there any sharing
of funds between HDF, and NCHD?
- What is the relationship
of HDF with the Pakistani government?
- Is there any mechanism
in place to measure HDF Activities
outcomes? (accountability)
- What programs
benefit the population here in the
USA?
- How can I help
HDF?
1. Does
HDF get any financial support from
Pakistan Government?
HDF does not receive any funds from
the Government of Pakistan nor does
it remit any of the funds it raises
to any government or government entity.
HDF collects majority of its funds
from generous donors like you. [back
to top]
2. Who
are HDF, HDFNA, NCHD, PHDF, and HDF
Pakistan?
HDF or HDFNA – The Human Development
Foundation (HDF), incorporated in
USA in 1997, is a non-government organization
(NGO) that provides program services
in Pakistan and in the U.S.
NCHD – The National Commission
On Human Development (NCHD) is an
entity formed by the Government of
Pakistan as a result of long term
persuasion efforts by members of HDF
and APPNA.
PHDF – The Pakistan Human Development
Fund (PHDF), incorporated in Pakistan
in 2002, is responsible for channeling
resources from the Government of Pakistan,
the private sector and the international
donor community into the NCHD and
its programs. Although the PHDF is
integral to the NCHD's Global Resource
Mobilization program, it is an autonomous
organization and a separate legal
entity. PHDF has no relationship with
HDF/HDFNA.
HDF Pakistan - HDF Pakistan (HDF-Pak)
is a sister organization of HDF in
Pakistan. It is a not-for-profit organization
incorporated in Pakistan on April
25, 2001. HDF Pakistan is governed
by an all-volunteer Board of Directors.
[back
to top]
3. What
is the difference between HDF and
NCHD?
HDF is an independent, non-governmental
organization (NGO) registered in the
U.S. as a not-for-profit 501(c)3 tax
exempt corporation. HDF-Pak programs
are funded by generous individual
donors along with institutional support
from non-governmental institutions.
The National Commission on Human
Development in Pakistan (NCHD) is
a government entity whose funding
is provided primarily by the government
of Pakistan but also from some individual
donors and International institutions.
HDF is not connected with nor does
it receive or remit any funding from
or to NCHD. [back
to top]
4. Is
there any sharing of funds between
PHDF & HDF?
There is no sharing of funds between
HDF and PHDF. HDF does not receive
any funds from PHDF nor contribute
any funds to PHDF. All your donations
contributed to HDF are used to implement
HDF programs. [back
to top]
5. Is
there any sharing of funds between
HDF, and NCHD?
There is no sharing of funds between
HDF and NCHD. HDF does not receive
any funds from NCHD nor contribute
any funds to NCHD. All donations contributed
to HDF are used to implement HDF programs.
HDF-Pakistan has partnered with NCHD
in a limited way to implement NCHD's
education program in Mardan. [back
to top]
6. What
is the relationship of HDF with the
Pakistani government?
HDF has no direct or legal relationship
with the Pakistani government. On
certain limited projects HDF has partnered
with the Pakistani government and
with non-governmental entities such
as the Pakistan Poverty Alleviation
Fund (PPAF). [back
to top]
7. Is
there any mechanism in place to measure
HDF Activities outcomes? (accountability)
HDF has quantifiable measurement
techniques in place that regularly
monitor the progress of HDF projects.
Some of HDF’s quantifiable results
are listed on the side-bar. [back
to top]
8. What
programs benefit the population here
in the USA?
HDF has two distinct programs for
US population: Internship for young
adults, and policy advocacy in US.
[back
to top]
9. How
can I help HDF?
You can help HDF in many constructive
ways:
1. Donate generously
2. Donate to HDF endowment fund
3. Volunteer your time and expertise
4. Hold HDF fundraisers in your city
5. Become an HDF advocate –
write for HDF
6. Send your kids to Pakistan to volunteer
on HDF projects
7. Recruit potential donors
[back
to top]
Date/Time Last Modified: 11/8/2004 1:18:28 PM
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