PROGRAM: M.

SC SOCIOLOGY

SMESTER : AUTUMN 2022

COURSE CODE : 4697

Course: Introduction to Social Work Fields of Social Work

ASSIGNMENT No. 2

Q.1 Explain in detail the history of community organization

The history of community organization has its roots in the late nineteenth
century. The Industrial Revolution in England in the mid-1800s had
transformed its economy from an agrarian to an industrial one. This in turn led
to the process of rapid urbanization, prompting many people in rural areas to
move to urban areas in search of livelihood. The urban areas with industries
became centers for exploitation, sickness, accidents, disabilities, unemployment,
and other socioeconomic issues. The families that strove to make ends meet
found it difficult to survive in these circumstances and were left with only a few
options to sustain themselves in the industrial centers: namely, government
relief, private charity or begging. It was commonly held that such individuals
and families were a failure due to their own weaknesses and deficiencies and
that their poverty and distress were born out of individual causes.

Basic Philosophy of Community Organization

 The fundamental aspect of the community organizations is the principle

of “Co-operative spirit” which promotes the people to unite to address a
common issue.
  Community organization recognizes the spirit of democratic values and
principles with the focus on creating democratic involvement.
 The community organization recognizes the power of individuals. It
believes, that through the collective strength of the people, better
teamwork, and adoption of scientific methods can provide comprehensive
solutions to social problems.
 Another Philosophy is that of coordination. It is concerned with
adjustments and inter-relations of the forces in the community life for the
common welfare.

History of Community Organization On the contrary the history talks about

the formal organizations which were set up for the welfare of the community.
The first efforts at community organization for social welfare were started in
England to overcome the acute problem of poverty, which led to beggary.

The first effort of its kind was the Elizabethan Poor Law (1601) in England,
which was set up to supply services to the needy. Another important landmark
in the history of community organization is the formation of London Society of
organizing charitable relief and repressing mendicancy and the Origin of the
Settlement House Movement in England during 1880.

Establishment of Charity Organization Society.This movement was started

with the influence of London Charity Organization set up in 1869. In USA, Rev.
S. H. Gurteen, an English priest who had some association with London Charity
association and had moved to Buffalo in 1873 gave the leadership to this
movement. Within a short span of six years the COS had reached to more than
25 American cities.

Charity organization was concerned about two things

1- Supplying adequate personal services to families and individuals in

need.

2- Take steps to address the issues/problems in social welfare.

Apart from this service, the COS also took initiatives in promoting co-operation
among the various welfare agencies. From this movement of charity
organization appeared many such service-oriented organizations i.e., social
service exchange, Community welfare councils, Councils of social agencies.
The emergence of The Settlement House MovementToynbee Hall in
Whitechapel was the first university settlement house set up in London in 1884
by a group of middle-class London reformers. It was started by Samuel Barnett
who believed that settlement houses were ‘places where richer students could
live alongside, learn about and contribute to the welfare of much poorer people.’
The Settlement workers were middle-class reformers, often women volunteers,
who would locate themselves in houses in the middle of urban, poor, working-
class neighborhoods. They conducted research in the surrounding communities
and offered services to community members, such as language classes,
childcare, healthcare, and meeting spaces.The Neighborhood Guild in New
York was the first American settlement house founded by Stanton Coit in 1886.
This was followed by the establishment of the Hull-House in Chicago in 1889
by Jane Addams and Ellen Starr. In 1893, a nurse and progressive reformer,
Lilian Wald founded the Henry Street Settlement in New York. By the 1890s,
there were at least four hundred settlement houses in the United States, of which
forty percent were in the industrial towns of Boston, Chicago, and New
York.Settlement workers were progressive in their approach because they aimed
to gain insights about poverty from directly experiencing the conditions under
which poor people lived. They also aimed to enable the poor to form
organizations to improve their situation. Some, aimed to build workers
organizations that would agitate for reform. This approach was a sharp
departure from nineteenth century styles of charity where the wealthy kept clear
boundaries and upheld their superiority in comparison with the poor. It tried to
solve social problems and bridging the class differences in rapidly
industrializing cities of USA, by acknowledging that poverty was caused by
social and economic factor e. Several innovative approaches were also evolving
in the field of community organization. The emphasis was now turning towards
control by community members instead of agency-driven activities as in the
case of the settlement houses of the 1930s. It was against this background that
Robert P. Lane’s 1939 report titled ‘The Field of Community Organization’
(also called ‘The Lane Report’) proved to be a milestone in social work
education.

The Lane Report, 1939 and Community Organization‘The Lane Report’

written by Robert P. Lane situated community organization practice within
Social Work education. It legitimated community organization as a method of
social work practice by presenting a systematic and comprehensive description
of the roles, activities, and methods in the field of community organization. To
address these issues, separate bodies were set up and we see the entry of
international agencies in the field of community organization. The present
situation in community organization is the emergence of the new community
development programmes, which aim at providing, services to the less
developed areas in international social welfare. Therefore, the present agenda is
on working with the whole community and greater emphasis is on self-help.

Q.2 Who is community organizer? What is the role of community

organizer in development?

Since President Obama has assumed leadership in the White House after
working as a community organizer in Chicago, community organizing has
become increasingly well-known for being an honorable profession.In short,
community organizers are responsible for uniting people to work together to
solve social problems and make the world a better place. If you are interested in
building more economically and socially just communities, read on to learn
more about the responsibilities of the role to get a better picture of the
typical day in the life of a community organizer.

Community Organizing
While most are familiar with the fact that medicine is dedicated to restoring
health and law is concerned with a body of rules for conduct, unfortunately very
few have a clear understanding on the world of community organizing. By most
definitions, community organizing is a specialized field in social work that is
devoted to restoring democracy at the grassroots level and energizing citizens to
become a more active member of their society. Community organizing focuses
on fixing broken social systems, bringing about meaningful changes to peoples'
lives, and empowering vulnerable or oppressed populations. Community
organizing has the goal of uniting local citizens around a common concern,
ranging from preventing crime and reducing toxic wastes to fighting prejudice
and creating community-building projects.

Daily Duties for Community Organizers

Similar to that of the coach for an athletic team, community organizers are
responsible for building a group of people or institutions to works towards
a common goal through collective action. In order to work towards this
objective, community organizers must be trained to really listen to people
when they articulate their concerns and voice their fears. Organizers are
focused on building social organizations, expanding their membership base,
raising questions or alternatives, developing sound organizing strategies,
recruiting leadership, assisting with fundraising, running member
meetings, and facilitating training sessions. Since community organizers
often spend their days engaging with marginalized populations, they also
frequently strive to uncover resources that were previously unavailable to
bear on community issues.
Becoming a Community Organizer
Although formal training is typically not required to be a community organizer,
the role comes with plenty of hard work that is best suitable for individuals with
a strong background in social justice, social work, sociology, and other social
services. In order to get the lay of the land before embarking on a career in
community organizing, it is often recommended that people volunteer with
social organizations. Volunteering will provide the practical learning that is
needed to navigate policies for social change as well as connect with others.
Due to the nature of the job, it is also necessary for individuals to have extreme
persistence to be successful in community organizing. While becoming a
community organizer often goes hand-in-hand with being an agitator, having
determination is the only way to get people together and working towards a
social problem of importance to you.

Overall, community organizing is a huge specialized field of social work that is

focused on brining community citizens together to works towards achieving a
common desire that will improve the well-being of the society. Community
organizers can find employment for social justice in government, non-profit
organizations, churches, social services agencies, public health departments, and
much more. Working as a community organizer provides the rewarding
opportunity to get community fired up about a cause for concern and watching a
community develop the tools it needs for social change!

THE ROLE OF A COMMUNITY ORGANIZER

With a community organizer now in the White House, community organizing is
recognized more than ever as an honorable profession. But what do community
organizers do? The short answer is that they get people to work together to
solve their own problems and change the world for the better.
Some liken the role of a community organizer to that of the coach of an athletic
team, in that it is the organizer’s job to get other people to take the lead. Others
say that an organizer builds community with a purpose. Still others define an
organizer as someone who “builds a group of people or institutions to address a
common problem through collective action.”
Here is a more detailed description of the role and responsibilities of a paid
community organizer in a grassroots, membership-based organization like those
that make up WORC.
Organizers build organizations that maximize the power and participation of
their members. Their role is to see that the people and structures are in place to
create coherence and integrity within an organization. Organizers are
responsible for expanding the membership base, maintaining a focus on action,
and preserving democratic, participatory structures and processes.
Organizers listen to their members, who know the community, and let people
go at their own pace while also helping them develop the self confidence to try
new things.
In community organizations, decision making is vested in the members. Big
decisions should be made by as many members as possible. Organizers are
responsible for sharing information and raising questions, options, alternatives
and problems that affect the collective power the group can wield.
Organizers do their fair share of the work, while also striving never to do for
others what they can do for themselves. In other words, organizers work with,
not for, their members.
Empowered individuals speak for themselves. Organizers identify and develop a
diverse group of members who agree to serve as the organization’s public voice
on a variety of issues.
Organizers are attuned to the power relationships and political agendas
surrounding an issue, and analyze the social, political and economic forces that
shape our communities, states, nation and world. Organizers develop sound
organizing strategies based on this power analysis.
Organizers recruit and develop leaders, seek to discover the skills, talents and
interests of current and potential leaders, and encourage shared leadership. They
believe that everyone has the potential to lead if given the opportunity.
An organizer’s role is to build public relationships, that is, relationships
based on the general needs of civic and community life. The main tool for
building such relationships is a face-to-face conversation (often called a one-on-
one). The purposes of one-on-ones are to build relationships and trust, discover
self-interests, identify skills and talents, and move people to involvement.
Another role of the organizer is to work with people to define problems and
issues, and help them think through the strategies and tactics necessary to act
with confidence and win.
Organizers recruit members, assist with fundraising, and integrate fundraising
into every aspect of their organizing work. Organizers try to build an
organization that is not dependent on outside funds.
Community organizations are schools for civic participation and personal
growth. Good organizers see the essence of their work as developing in local
leaders the talents and gifts they have. Organizers ensure that their members
receive a consistently high standard of appropriate and effective training.
One of the primary tools of organizers is an effective meeting. Organizers
enable the members to hold meetings that are productive and focused.
Organizers facilitate training and strategy sessions when needed to help
their members and leaders learn the skills they need to speak for the group,
make good decisions and take the out-front roles. Organizers don’t run meetings
where members are making decisions.
Organizing is “on the job training,” and evaluations are an important way we
learn from our experiences. Organizers build evaluations into all aspects of
their work.
Accountability means people can count on one another to keep commitments
and agreements. Organizers strive to be accountable and hold others
accountable in every aspect of their job. Organizers create a culture that
encourages people to commit only to things they can really do, and to know
they are accountable for their actions.
Ninety percent of organizing is follow-up. Follow-up means both keeping in
touch with people to get their jobs done, and planning for the fact that a few
people won’t be able to complete their tasks. Organizers always make time for
follow-up.
Organizers strive to reflect on and improve their skills on an ongoing basis, and
develop an annual self-development plan.
An organizer must be comfortable knowing that s/he will be in the background
and that when recognition for her/his work comes, it’s from the members and
leaders of the organization for which that organizer works, not the press or the
public. Many veteran organizers say that the respect of their members is a great
reward and the reason why they stay in organizing.

Q.3 How social planning is based in rational approach?

Planning theories are an attempt to refine the planning process so as to produce
better plans. With more and more people working some of the well-known
planning concepts like rational planning model, advocacy planning
concept, collaborative planning theory, political economic model in urban
planning, critical minimum efforts theory etc. emerged. Among these Rational
Planning Model is considered to be most successful and even used today.
A brief history of Rational Planning Model

The rational planning model is the process of understanding a problem by

establishing and evaluating planning criteria, formulation of alternatives and
implementing them and finally monitoring the progress of the chosen
alternatives. The rational planning model is central in the development of
transport planning & modern planning. Similarly, rational decision-making
model is a process of making decisions which are logically sound. This multi-
step model and aims to be logical and follow the orderly path from problem
identification through solution.
Rational Planning Model
The RCM (Rational Comprehensive Model) for planning owes its origins to
Enlightenment epistemology (Sandercock, 1998; Allmendinger, 2002), as it is
centred on decisions and principles that are based on reason, logic and scientific
facts with little or no emphasis on values and emotions. Due to its tendency
towards scientific method and its decision-making process, Faludi has termed it
‘procedural planning theory’. He sees planning as a procedure and declares that
“the planning theorist depends on first-hand experience, reflects upon it, and
puts it into context” (Faludi, 1978:179). Therefore, the planner learns from
experience and can define the correct method or procedure to follow to get the
correct result. Meanwhile Sandercock (1998) refers to the rational
comprehensive model as ‘technocratic planning’ due to its emphasis on
technical expertise and skills and its steadfast belief that technology and social
science can be used to solve our problems.
Terms used in Rational Decision Model

 Goals – Goals are broad statements that we intend to achieve. They

are quite general and abstract.
 Objectives – Objectives are more specific, measurable and clear as
they help to progress towards the goals. They are the means to
actually fulfil the goals.
 Targets – they are further specific and specify the time against
which the actions need to be completed.
 Data – Data is raw, unorganized facts that need to be processed.
  Information – When data is processed, organized, structured or
presented in a given context so as to make it useful, it is
called Information.
 Model – A model is simply a schematic but precise description of
the system using assumptions, which appears to fit its past
behaviour and which can, therefore, be used, it is hoped, to predict
the future
 Projections – Projections are usually carried out based on a
number of alternative assumptions based on trends of growth and
other linked factors like future policy of the government, attitude of
people etc. They refer to the probable value of data in future.
 Estimate – Estimate refers to the past date. For example, suppose
we wish to have population of India for 2009 today, which is not
available, so we have to estimate it based on some previous
available data of other years.
 Forecast – Forecast has an element of prediction into the near
future using current data and sophisticated instruments. For
instance, forecasting the weather in the next 24 hours.

Q.4 What are the problems encountered during the community development?
How does a community developer overcome these problems?

A mild form of resistance to change is seen in the way people choose not to get
involved in the transformation process. However, those men and women who
did not participate in the community development program are considered as
untapped resources. With the right leader, they are able to “bring new human
capital, ideas, and diversity to the community development process” .

Any potential solution in dealing with apathy or the refusal to get involved must
start with information dissemination and education. These people must be
taught and they must understand the importance of community development.
Leaders on the other hand must not assume that the members of the community
are already familiar with the benefits of community development.

Members of the community must be persuaded that community development is

a positive force. If one takes the practical approach, the members of the
community will realise that there are two basic aspects of community
development that they can focus on, and these are related to infrastructure and
crime prevention .
If the people are aware of the benefits, it is not only the residents in a given area
who will realise the importance of community development but also private
companies serving in that particular area.As a result, there would be a direct
community engagement of private service suppliers.

The collaboration of the private and public sector would result in improving
services such as garbage collection. At the same time, more people would be
involved in the monitoring of the delivery of services financed by public funds.

The participation of talented people in the community could lead to a chain-

reaction of events .Many of them would come to realise that the sustainable
development of a community is not always dependent on the delivery of basic
services but also on crime prevention.

Members of the community would realise that an area riddled with crime could
never develop a sustainable engine of growth.

Many residents are indifferent to the idea of community development because

they rely on the local government for many of the things that they need. For
example, they rely on the local government to develop an effective law
enforcement and litigation program. They believed that the combined elements
of law enforcement and the public prosecutors would create an effective
deterrent against crime.

They also believed that their local officials would be able to apply certain
strategies in order to significantly reduce the crime rate. They believed that the
existence of a law enforcement group and the availability of public prosecutors
are enough to strike fear into the hearts of criminals. In the present time,
criminals are brazen enough to conduct their illegal trade on broad daylight.

It is not enough to point the obvious that conventional means of crime

prevention are no longer enough to defeat the rising criminality in towns and
cities.
The community needs the participation of residents in order to develop viable
solutions in dealing with crime. They have to be educated about certain
concepts such as Crime Prevention through Environmental Design or CPTED.

As a result, ideas could be forwarded to the planning committee such as the

installation of lighting facilities in public places and improving crime deterrent
strategies such as installing closed-circuit cameras in certain areas.

Aside from securing the services of volunteers who are talented enough to
contribute in the creation of strategies, community development is also made
possible by empowering community members. For example, livelihood
programs may help provide a steady source of income for some of the members
of the community and it could be a major catalyst that would lead to change.

Conflicts in Community Development

The end goal is collaboration. According to one commentary, “the active
participation and engagement of diverse local citizens is essential to the
development of community and collective capacity building” However, the
opposite is true in communities around the world. In reality, comprehensive
involvement as outlined earlier is unlikely in many areas all over the globe.

In fact, the behaviour of the members of the community is often, “marked by

apathy, disaffection, and a lack of understanding of their potential role in social
change, many citizens remain complacent and uninvolved in the actions shaping
social life” .The first thing that has to be done is to acknowledge this problem.
The second step is to figure out why people are complacent and uninvolved.

The root cause of the problem could be traced back to how people perceived
change and according to a commentary, “Change is nothing new and a simple
fact of life. Some people actively thrive on new challenges and constant change,
while others prefer the comfort of the status quo and strongly resist any change.

It is all down to the personality of the individual and there is little management
can do about resistance to change”. Change is important for the positive
transformation or renewal of a community ravaged by crime and poverty.
However, residents are oftentimes unwilling to embrace change. One of the
primary reasons identified in related literature is the inability to absorb the
impact of change.

Even if the members of the community are not open to change, community
leaders must persuade them. Needless to say, leadership is the key to an
effective and efficient community development process. Leaders must help
them understand that the community could be compared to a business entity that
requires change and innovation.

Without a doubt, political and civic leaders believe in the concept of community
development. However, their belief and enthusiasm are limited to the
conceptual level only because they are committed to the ideals of community
development but not the process. In reality, even leaders oppose change and
they are not willing to embrace change because there are so many things to
consider.

The unpredictable nature of change may affect their political careers. At the
same time, real transformation requires hard work. Many people are unwilling
to provide such level of commitment. According to the study made on the
transformation process, change can be seen as the cause of “unanticipated
delays, costs, and instabilities”

In other words, leaders must change the perspective regarding the benefits of
change. Leaders oftentimes resist the implementation of certain because it is not
to their advantage. In other occasions, a leader failed to deliver because of the
inability to overcome problems placed before him .

Community leaders must come to realise that, in order to reap the benefits
caused by change, they must be ready to make sacrifices. They have to make the
necessary adjustments in order to satisfy the requirements of a particular
strategy .
 It is important to point out that the change process begins at the top. Leaders
must be persuaded first, before the followers are expected to embrace their
programs. In the case of the leaders, the change process begins in studying the
intricacies of the change process.

Without a high-level commitment coming from community leaders, change is

merely wishful thinking. Leaders demonstrate their commitment by learning
how to develop a cost-efficient operation. It is not enough to simply talk about
the desire to do something. It is imperative to develop short-term and long-term
projects that residents of a community could feel, hear, and see.

After residents of the community are involved and funding has been released,
the next step is to look for ways on how to improve the change processes. It is a
prerequisite to efficiency and waste reduction

Q.5

Write a detailed note on role of NGOs in social work in Pakistan.

NGOs (non-governmental organisations) play a significant role in developing

society, improving communities and promoting citizen participation. Their
contribution to the GDP of the economy is not much, but their overall part in
improving the human development index or social progression index is
irrefutable. In today’s world, as much as we appreciate the efforts of non-
government, non-profit organizations, their work in the development sector is
genuinely commendable. Other than a few government institutions, it is the
non-profit organizations putting in resources, time, and efforts to fight the social
issues and injustices embedded in society. Non-profit organizations are playing
an essential role in the construction of healthy and secure communities by
providing their assistance and services, which leads to economic stability and
mobility.

One significant advantage of a non-profit organization in assisting the society is

that they tend to act faster than the government. They work closely with the
people on the ground and quickly access the immediate area in the occurrence
of a significant issue. Moreover, NGOs do not wait for the majority vote and
can provide for a needy person or groups of persons. Another critical function
of NGOs is that they promote individual-led initiatives that impact the whole
public. Whatever the problem, whether health, education or an emergency,
NGOs are present to provide relief to the people timely. Various social issues
from alleviating poverty to fighting injustices, from providing clean water to
better healthcare facilities, are dealt with by NGOs, whether large or small.
Every organization is playing a part of its own. Based on its strong community
links and vast knowledge of the situation, NGOs can understand and cater to the
needs of the community and fulfill them using the best ways possible. NGOs
that are robust and well-resourced can boost growth and opportunity in the
community based on their connections along with decision making authorities.
Below, we take a more in-depth look at how certain NGOs have set their ground
and are benefitting the people of Pakistan by tackling social issues.

1. Poverty: Extreme poverty is a burden borne by a nation. Living in

extreme poverty is not just about the availability or accessibility of
basic needs such as food, water or shelter but is linked to
homelessness, hunger, poor health along with lack of sanitation, clean
water, health, and education. Many NGOs in Pakistan are fighting
poverty. These NGOs have lifted people out of poverty and allowed
them to earn a sustainable income so that their futures become secure.
One such profound non-profit organization working for this particular
cause is Seed Out. Seed Out is the most prominent and leading not for
profit organization, which is working to alleviate poverty in Pakistan
by establishing micro-entrepreneurs through interest-free micro-
financing. Founded by Zain Ashraf Mughal in 2013 in Lahore, Seed
Out operates in four different cities of Pakistan. Seed Out’s unique
online crowdfunding platform allows the donor to donate to the
underprivileged person they wish. The borrower is given interest-free
in-kind loans to establish a small business and earn a sustainable
income. Seed Out has successfully pulled out hundreds of Pakistanis
and their families out of poverty and continues its mission against
poverty in the years to come. Another organization working to
alleviate poverty in Pakistan is Akhuwat. Founded in 2001 by Dr.
Amjad Saqib, Akhuwat’s head office sits in Lahore. Akhuwat started
as an interest-free microfinance organization that focused on making
Pakistan a poverty-free nation. It provides interest-free loans to the
poverty-stricken for them to establish their businesses. Akhuwat has
built a university that aims to provide free of cost higher education to
the less privileged youth of Pakistan. The organization also provides
health care, meals, clothes to the underprivileged and support to the
Khawaja Sirah community.
2. Education: According to authentic estimates, the ratio of children
dropping out of schools is high, but the role NGOs have played in
 promoting education in the country is praise-worthy. They have shared
the burden of government. Several NGOs have contributed and even
helped build several educational institutions across the nation,
especially in the remote areas. The benefit of creating these schools
and institutions is that residents are given educational opportunities at
minimum or no cost. Organizations such as TCF, Care Foundation and
Misbah Momin Foundation are working towards providing high-
quality education to the underprivileged children in Pakistan. These
organizations have built schools and sponsored the education of
multiple children. The Citizens Foundation (TCF) is the largest non-
profit organization that is devotedly working to provide education to
the underprivileged children in Pakistan. TCF was founded by a group
of citizens in Karachi back in 1995. With its quality work in the field
of education, it has successfully established more than 1500 schools
nationwide with an enrolment of almost 252,000 students. TCF further
aims to adopt various government schools in the future. Care
Foundation is another leading non-profit organization that works
towards providing quality education for all. Founded in 1988 by Ms.
Seema Aziz, Director of Sefam Group, established its first school in
the locality of Sheikhupura. Care Foundation aims to empower the
children of underprivileged communities by providing them a high-
quality education. Currently, Care Foundation operates 888 schools all
over Pakistan.
3. Humanitarian services: In response to an emergency or crisis, NGOs
provide quick material and logistical assistance to the disaster or
tragedy struck areas. The disasters could be of any sort, natural or
human-made. The objective of delivering humanitarian aid is to save
life on an emergency basis and reduce the suffering of a particular
person or community. One brilliant NGO working towards providing
humanitarian assistance round the clock is Edhi Foundation. Edhi
Foundation is one of Pakistan’s leading humanitarian and social
welfare services organizations. Founded in 1947 by Abdul Sattar Edhi,
a prominent social worker based in Karachi, Edhi Foundation offers
exemplary social services from orphanages to mobile dispensaries,
hospitals, and diabetic centres to homes for the homeless, the disabled
and women and the elderly rejected by their families. It has the world’s
largest ambulance service providing round the clock services to every
member of the society. The second-best humanitarian aid provider
NGO is the Chhipa Welfare Association in Pakistan. Chhipa Welfare
Association is one of the leading non-profit organizations in Pakistan,
which is dedicated to providing humanitarian and welfare services to
the underprivileged community. Founded in 2007 by Ramzan Chhipa,
 its headquarters are located in Karachi. The services of the association
include financial assistance and free or low-cost food to the poor and
the operation of a well-established speedy ambulance service within
Karachi. Another great NGO, Alkhidmat Foundation is a remarkable
example of a charitable organization that is considered as one of the
largest networks for humanitarian services. Alkhidmat got registered
as an NGO under the Societies Act in 1990 with its head office based
in Lahore. Its welfare services include disaster management, health
services, education, orphan care, clean water, Mawakhat (interest-free
loan) and other community services for the vulnerable communities of
Pakistan.
4. Healthcare and medical services: In Pakistan, access to quality
healthcare and medical services for the underprivileged is not easy.
The government hospitals are doing their best to cater to several
patients, but many are still left untreated. However, the poor cannot go
to private hospitals as they are too expensive. Several renowned NGOs
in Pakistan provide high-quality medical care at discounted rates and
to those in need. Such NGOs also set up health camps and portable
clinics in remote areas to help provide for a free medical checkup. A
state-of-the-art hospital, Shaukat Khanum Cancer Hospital, is a non-
profit cancer hospital providing thousands of cancer patients free of
cost medical care. Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital and
Research Centre (SKMCH) is the leading and most renowned
charitable organization in Pakistan. Established in 1994 by famous
cricketer and now Prime Minister Imran Khan, SKMCH serves as the
largest cancer hospital in Pakistan with almost 75 percent of all cancer
patients receiving financial support. It aims to end the suffering of
thousands of cancer patients each year by applying modern techniques
and therapies. Another great NGO providing healthcare services to
patients is Transparent Hands. Transparent Hands is a distinguished
non-profit organization working dedicatedly in delivering health care
services to the deserving and less privileged patients. It offers free of
cost medical services at renowned private hospitals. Founded by
Rameeza Mueen, Transparent Hand’s head office is in Lahore. The
organization arranges funds for the surgeries of deserving patients
through charity. Their online crowdfunding portal allows the donor to
donate to the patient of his/her choice.
5. Human Rights: Several NGOs in the world are dedicated to
protecting human rights and end abuses against it. Such NGOs call for
prompt remedial support and action from government authorities and
strong public advocacies. Below is an example of a brilliant Human
rights NGO in Pakistan, Ansar Burney Trust International. Ansar
 Burney Trust is known to be the first non-profit activist organization
that introduced the correct concept of human rights in Pakistan. It
delivers justice and better treatment to the victims of human rights
abuse. The organization was founded by the human rights advocate,
Ansar Burney in 1980 to fight all forms of injustice. The trust provides
free legal advice and humanitarian support for the unfortunate human
beings.
6. Women’s Rights: Multiple NGOs are making a difference in the lives
of oppressed women and promote gender equality. Two of the most
renowned NGOs that work for the rights of women are mentioned
below. One such NGO is the Aurat Foundation, which works for the
promotion and protection of women’s rights and demands gender
equality. Aurat Foundation (AF) is one of the significant charity
organizations, which is working for the welfare of women in Pakistani
society. Established in 1986, AF is an activist charity organization that
has its head office in Islamabad, five regional offices in the provincial
capitals and 37 field offices all over Pakistan. AF aims to empower
women by providing greater access to education, resources, and
institutions, along with the commitment to raise widespread awareness
about equal human rights for all. Another excellent example of an
NGO supporting women’s rights is Kashf Foundation. Kashf
Foundation is a prominent non-profit organization that works to
improve the lives of underprivileged women of Pakistan. Roshaneh
Zafar founded Kashf in 1996 as a micro-finance institution that offered
cost-effective micro-finance services to low-income households,
especially women. It aims to eradicate poverty in such homes by
empowering women and have an economic and social impact at the
household.
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All these NGOs provide us basic needs, which are the rights of every person.
The role of NGOs that are common for almost all the NGOs in the developed
countries with regard to development in different fields as in education, health,
women welfare etc. This range of activities varies from one country to the other.
In Pakistan, nearly half of the NGO’s are committed to programs for women
development while some NGOs have played an important role in creating
awareness and human rights issues. Some have worked in health care, water and
sanitation, education and other useful projects. NGOs in Pakistan can be divided
into several broad categories:

 Advocacy and lobbying

 Policy issues and debates
  Emergency, rehabilitation and relief organizations
 Implementation of development projects and programs
Research suggests that there are some sectors vacant for development and
working as follows where the role of NGOs in future will be appreciated.

 Environments and energy saving

 Traffic education and awareness
 Arbitration and mediation in families
NGOs are playing a very important role for overall development of the
underdeveloped segments of society through a rights based approach and
service delivery.