PAHCHAAN – an acronym for Protection And Help Of Children Against Abuse And Neglect; is a not-for-profit child rights and protection organization working to enhance and better the future of several families in Pakistan. For around two decades now, PAHCHAAN has worked tirelessly in the field of family support, provision of necessary training and knowledge for parents and alternative carers, and helping families stabilize financially and economically with an aim to uplift the lives of thousands of households in the country. At PAHCHAAN, we believe that elevating the lives of families by providing them essential healthcare, economic and educational facilities will result in safeguarding a brighter future for generations to come.
Grow with giggles" signifies a child who is healthy, happy, safe and lives in a learning, nurturing, secure, and enabling environment, where he/she is being cared for in his/her best interest and PAHCHAAN envisions that.
PAHCHAAN's mission is in line with the United Nations's Convention on the Rights of the Child to continuously and tirelessly work helping children who are forced to work, displaced from their homes, discouraged from gaining education, denied basic health and nutrition, or who are at risk for abuse and neglect. PAHCHAAN works with the parents, teachers, social scientists, health care professionals and all care providers providing them with awareness, building their capacity and advocating through scientific research.
PAHCHAAN'S work can be broadly categorized into 4 mian program streams which include:
I have always concurred to this very profound thought by Nelson Mandela, I heard of at a very young age; “The true character of a society is revealed in how it treats its children”. With big dreams to serve humanity by becoming a pediatrician, I set out on my 40-year long journey of commitment, hard work and perseverance. I have been the Chair of Child Rights Group of Pakistan Pediatric Association for the last 30 years, and a board member and chair of many national and international organizations including International Society for Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect (ISPCAN) and ECPAT International. PAHCHAAN has been a close collaborator and partner in many of these organizations and its impact stands out in the achievements of the various networks and associations. It by far outclasses the other partner organizations because of its strong professional leadership, academic and field research, self-accountability, and grass root interventions. PAHCHAAN is my pride.
Being its founder president, I feel proud when I see PAHCHAAN supporting hundreds of thousands of children and families in distress. The purpose of PAHCHAAN was to serve the invisible stigmata of neglect and abuses to all children but especially those in difficult circumstances. I am very satisfied that my board and my colleagues understand its aims and objects to the core and apply these in supporting all these families – one at a time. With a background of pediatrics, academics, research, and development, I have been able to steer this enthusiastic and dedicated team to do their best and feel empathy for every child they serve. Together we have not only developed the first hospital-based child protection unit in South Asia, but also created models that will benefit the mothers and their whole families. We are also the only institution to develop the first academic department of child rights in the developing world. Our core purpose is not to only uplift the child but the whole family. We work with all stakeholders to develop systems of care to make this world a safe place for the children while not leaving their families behind.
Due to the nature of my work as a Film Producer, I have observed everything through my lens, especially keeping an eye on the issues that surround us in daily life. Turning my lens towards a child, my lens always focuses on the mother that holds the key to develop him/her. I firmly believe that without a strengthened mother, a child cannot be strengthened either leading to the collapse of the family as one. Without an empowered mother, children and a family can never thrive. I have always ardently believed that by uplifting the living standards for a mother, we can turn the lives of children, the families and even the whole communities around. Seeing that PAHCHAAN and I share the same ideology and thought process, I joined hands with them and watched my dreams become a reality. It is an honor for me to be working side by side with PAHCHAAN to serve these children and families through passion, compassion and dedication.
Almost four decades of my indulgence in IT, Corporate, Management, and Technology Consultancy, has not given me the contentment that could be remotely matched with my gratification over two decades of direct involvement with PAHCHAAN. From meaningful participation in disaster relief management to augmented assistance to the distressed mother and child; from educating the street children to feeding them with nutritious food; from identifying the victims of child abuse and neglect to securing them through hospital care and government support; PAHCHAAN’s innumerous contributions towards the betterment of children keeps me inspired and motivated. The mentoring, training, and support that PAHCHAAN extends to other organizations furthers the causes related with uplift of the children of our world. I am proud to be a founder member in Team PAHCHAAN.
I have been part of multiple organizations and boards in my life but the work being done by PAHCHAAN has no parallels. Their support for mothers and children, commitment towards the families and focus towards their work when it comes to improving the life standards of families as a whole is highly commendable. Their new endeavors, especially in the last year, reaching from one corner of Punjab to another is a reflection of their efforts itself. In my life, I have known and seen people who do a lot of charity. It always made me think that what if, instead of donating to people in the time hardships, we improve their lives to a point where donations will never be needed again. By empowering them via education, healthcare and skill development, we empower them today and consequently for all their life. The only institution that I saw working to fulfil this ideology is PAHCHAAN. The work done, and progress made by PAHCHAAN is highly commendable.
Having worked in the corporate field internationally as well as locally, I understand the importance corporate social responsibility and how to put it to best use for the unmet needs of deprived communities of Pakistan and help the organizations which reach out to these people at the grass roots. I have been a Rotarian for decades, and I joined hands with PAHCHAAN with the mission to become a voice of the poor fathers, mothers, and their children, and to reach everyone who is capable of being a change maker. PAHCHAAN is not just advocating for the families but also providing them safety and assurance of a good life through its major initiatives such as Attock to Bahawalpur vaccination and awareness drive fighting Typhoid and benefitting more than 10,000 families, just in its 1st phase. Knowing that I am a part of something so noble, and so dedicated gives me a new meaning of life.
Being a mother of 3 children, I have always seen life from a perspective any mother would want her children to live their life. Looking into lives that PAHCHAAN supports through its projects, my heart goes out to families who could not do what many of us have been fortunate enough to do for our children. It is my pride that nothing has been able to stop me and my husband from striving for these families. Each day we discuss about helping the mothers and children in the communities where there is no hope. Apart from my round the clock job being a beautician and a homemaker, all the time that I have on my hands is devoted to PAHCHAAN by giving the board my perspective on how a woman, wife and a mother sees family. The significance and importance of the role of a mother for a child and vice versa is not something one can just look away from. During the last 16 years, whatever little I have contributed to improve the life of mothers and children, it has been, without an iota of doubt, a privilege to be a part of PAHCHAAN family.
As a pediatrician, I have always worked for the healthcare and well-being of children. It has always been my priority to do my level best for all the children around me, regardless of any bounds of cast, color and creed. Naeem being a dear friend to me and following the same mission of providing for the rights and betterment of children, it is a pride for me to be a part of PAHCHAAN and all its endeavors. I strongly believe that working for children today, is something that can greatly contribute to the welfare of this nation as whole, in the near future. By strengthening a child today through education, proper nutrition, healthcare, psychological and social support, we can empower a family, community, and the whole nation in a few years. I feel that it is not just about today’s struggle, the bigger picture is ahead of us.
Studying at the prestigious King Edward Medical College together with my dear friend Naeem it was always inspiring to see his devotion to causes of children welfare in all it's totality. With inception of PAHCHAAN I could see the chance to get involved in whatever humble capacity in something that was much bigger than ourselves. After more than a decade of association with PAHCHAAN, Naeem's passion still inspires me and the rest of the PAHCHAAN team to keep trying to achieve elusive goals. It has been an honor and a privilege to be a part of a cause that is so noble that it uplifts me every day. Every morning, I know that somewhere there is another family to help, and another family to empower. We will keep trying. May God always bless us with a will to go on and a heart ready to listen and reach out.
