‘Hope is the thing with feathers
that perches in the souland sings the tune without the words
And never stops at all.’
― Emily Dickinson
From illiteracy into the world of knowledge, in fact, technical knowledge; is what The Hunar Foundation is striving to achieve. Pakistan currently ranks a low 113 out of 120 countries on the UN’s Education Development Index. In order to sustain a society that has its vales based on literacy; poverty should be eradicated in the first place. According to UNESCO, 21.4 million people in Pakistan get out of bed not knowing where the day will take them. Seemingly unaware of the fact that they lack skill which could be of some help to them, they cover long distances and travel in search of jobs. According to the Economic survey of Pakistan, 2013-14, 50 million of Pakistan’s population lies under the age of 17-35. 10 million out of the 50 million people get access to education or learn any skill but the remaining 40 million remain unskilled. The Survey states further that since 50% of the youth may not get adequate education, it will be near impossible for Pakistan to stabilize its economy. Consequently, they lie under the category of ineffective breadwinners and life as we know it, challenges us at every step which should be faced with self determination and self trust.
The Hunar Foundation is amongst one of those organizations that work to spread technical education to financially challenged individuals of our society who can easily have a chance at a better quality of life once they get skill training. Many youngsters get dropped out from schools and colleges. Since the need to make ends meet is regardless there, such individuals fall prey to unlawful activities. Hence, the core objective of The Hunar foundation is to spread technical knowledge to those who lack financial access, but can become an asset to the nation in the coming years.
The Hunar foundation is a nongovernmental organization led by a very devoted team of founder members and governed by a board of trustees who have pledged to invest money in the training of unskilled individuals. The institutions set up by The Hunar Foundation for women teaches hair dressing techniques, beauty therapy, personal care services, sales representation, basic accounting and book keeping, industrial garment stitching, baking, cooking, catering, house management, interior decoration and other such stuff. On the other hand, technical courses for men include electrical installation, plumbing, fabrication, welding, pipe work, mechanical fitting, plant maintenance, refrigeration, air conditioning, , motor cycle mechanics, working with electrical home appliances, UPS and generator repair and CNC machine operations. These courses are recognized by the City and Guilds (UK), a leading vocational skills development organization, and qualifying students receive City & Guilds certified diplomas that are recognized in more than eighty countries. The Hunar Foundation offers two levels of C&G qualification in Pakistan that is Level II diploma and Level III Advanced diploma.
One of the main objectives of the foundation as yet is the establishment of 30 training centers along with four teacher training centers. Out of these 30, 10 of the institutes are allotted for women. Today, some of these centers are operational such as the one at Karachi’s Delhi Mercantile Cooperative Housing Society and Delhi Colony areas as well as another one at Rashibabad in Tando Allahyar and Lahore There are more under-construction at Korangi and another one in Kharian. As per the information collected, over PKR 70 crores has already been invested in the making of the institutes where the training is being given. Another very prominent objective is to raise the bar of technical training versus other set ups.
To achieve this milestone, a number of Hunar instructors have been sent to Australia on AUSAID scholarships to get them to learn cutting edge techniques. Moreover, trainers from Germany keep being invited to impart training to the instructors and very soon instructors from the foundation will be going to Germany to become master trainers. The Hunar Foundation emphasizes on providing knowledge of the English language and computers to students to increase their competence. As yet, over 1000 graduates have completed their education from The Hunar Foundation out of which over 70% are engaged economically.
Having nothing else left to say, we strongly believe that social sector organizations like The Hunar Foundation can truly MAKE A DIFFERENCE. To help Pakistan rise, such organizations can play a major part in equipping people with skills that will help them turn into effective members of society.