Human Development Foundation

Dr. Shahnaz Khan, the Human Development Foundation's Co-Chairperson, is the woman behind HDF's daily operations in the United States. She is a family practice doctor in Zephyrhills, Florida and juggles her time between her work, family and commitments to HDF.

How long have you been involved with HDF?

I have been involved with the Human Development Foundation even before its inception. APPNA (The Association of Pakistani Physicians of North America) appointed a six- member task force on human development that I was part of. After about a year or two of deliberation, the task force came up with a vision for a separate Foundation for human development in Pakistan. As a result, HDF was founded in 1997.

The vision was to have a broad based organization of Pakistani Americans and so APPNA invited SIH and NOOR foundation to collaborate and form HDF.

NOOR Foundation is a family foundation of Mr. Akram Choudhry, a businessman from NJ. SIH (Society for International HELP) has been working for the promotion of education in Pakistan for awhile. I was and still am on the board for SIH. All three organizations donated seed money for the endowment account of HDF.

Why did you choose to get involved with HDF?

There are very few Pak-Americans who don't care about Pakistan. Almost all of us are concerned about what's happening back home and concerned about the literacy rate as well as the lack of development in all areas of life. HDF provides a forum through which things can be improved. Personally, I felt that this was my calling.

Do you think your being a doctor has allowed you to contribute more than others?

I think everybody can contribute something. Physicians are in a unique position because God has blessed them with financial resources, probably more than an average person. I believe that they are almost obligated to contribute.

There are many other educated Pak-Americans who have the financial resources to contribute towards causes such as HDF. Other than financial contributions, people can help by volunteering their skills and time.

Most people in my generation now have older kids, so they have less responsibility and more time to get involved.

From a woman's perspective, what kind of challenges do the women benefiting from HDF's projects face?

In Pakistan, ignorance and poverty are the root of most of the problems. There is a spectrum of human rights issues, other than the social and cultural restrictions placed on women, mostly in the name of religion. Most of these issues can only be effectively tackled if the base population is educated and financially secure. This is evidenced by the fact that problems are not as severe in cities, which have slightly better literacy rates than in rural areas.

In your contacts with women in places like Mardan, what issues do they discuss?

Their problems are the same as the society at large. One common problem for mothers is getting their daughters married. The problem is that most women in Pakistan are not given a chance to verbalize their issues and problems. I am hoping that as our projects mature and women's participation improves through our community organizations, they will come out and express their opinion more openly. I would like to say that in general it is a misconception that mothers don't want their daughters to be educated. Most mothers would actually prefer their daughters to go to school.

Generally speaking in Pakistan, NGOs (non-governmental organizations) have a negative reputation. What has been the local population's reaction to HDF?

A number of NGOs in Pakistan have the reputation of being funded by the "West," and attempting to change the social and moral fabric of the local population. So far HDF is perceived as an organization that is supported by Pakistani Americans who care about people back home and, as far as I know, we have not had such problems.

Most of our projects are in rural areas. We try to get employees who are familiar with the local language and customs. That creates a certain degree of comfort level and helps with the communication between the local people and HDF employees.

What has been the reaction to HDF's work in America?

HDF has enjoyed overwhelming support from Pakistani Americans. Wherever we have gone for fund raising events or community awareness programs, we have heard positive remarks. I believe that most Pakistani Americans want to help people back home. It is matter of finding a platform that is credible, financially responsible and transparent. I believe that at HDF we are making an honest effort to fulfill these expectations for our supporters.

Due to the fact that it was initiated by the Association of Pakistani Physicians of North America (APPNA), HDF had the immediate support of APPNA members. This helped tremendously in getting started. Even now, many of our activists are members of APPNA and have a certain degree of standing in the community. This lends credibility to the organization. Our goal from the very start has been to involve Pakistani Americans from all walks of life. We are seeing this happening gradually. People are eager to join HDF and contribute something positive for Pakistan.

What has been the reaction of young Pak-Americans to HDF and its work?

Most of us share the perception that young Pakistani Americans are generally disconnected from Pakistan and are really not interested. However, I was pleasantly surprised at the last ISNA convention by the many young Pakistani Americans who stopped by our booth and expressed the desire to volunteer in Pakistan. Some wanted to do internships, others wanted to teach, while some just wanted to go and help the underprivileged people there. During our last board meeting, two young students made a presentation for a plan to involve the younger generation into HDF work. As a result the board approved a team for the mobilization of students and youth for HDF. I must admit that as an organization we have not been able to reach out to younger people so far. But we have plans and Inshallah we will involve them.

How have you incorporated non-physicians into HDF?

As I said earlier, it has always been our goal to involve people from all walks of life. At this time many team members and network coordinators, as well as one-third of our board members, are non- physicians. We hope to involve all kinds of people through our networks. From among them, there will then be activists who eventually join the board. Right now we have about 15 to 20 networks at different stages of development in various communities. This is where we want people to come and participate actively. Our goal is to ultimately have networks in all the cities of the U.S. and eventually the world. But we also realize that the process may be slow and will ultimately depend on the willingness of the people to participate. Developing a network also requires the ability to build a consensus, maintain long-term relationships, and bring people along for the common good of the community.

Since launching our web site, www.yespakistan.com, many people have shown interest in getting involved.

What do you see as the future of HDF?

In the future, I see HDF as a global organization, which is working towards the betterment of our communities wherever they are. I see HDF as an organization that facilitates philanthropy and volunteerism in the Pakistani and Muslim community. I would like HDF to become a resource organization for various projects that individuals or other organizations may want to do. I see HDF as an independent organization that represents civil society, provides input for the government when making policy for development and other areas, and is ultimately the voice of the people.

How did you get involved with APPNA?

APPNA is a professional as well as a social and cultural organization. I initially got involved because it is a platform to meet old friend and classmates. I was also interested in participating in any worthwhile projects of APPNA. Initially I was a little disappointed with the annual conventions because, on a superficial level, it seems as if people are merely interested in socialization and entertainment. But then I realized that there are people behind the scenes who are working very hard to improve things here and for the people of Pakistan. APPNA also serves as a facilitator for exchange of ideas and networking. Many projects and organizations have evolved from APPNA.

As a side benefit, APPNA also serves as a meeting place for young Pakistani Americans. I believe that APPNA plays a very important role in organizing these children. I can say with confidence that APPNA is one of the best or perhaps the best national organization of Pakistani Americans in terms of its outreach, democratic traditions and community work.

Were you always involved in charitable work?

No. Retrospectively, I think that deep inside I never believed that purely charitable work could change a nation or community. Of course charity has its own place and it is a fundamental part of our religious duties as Muslims. But in my opinion, the ultimate goal of any charity should be to reduce the need for charity in the community. My first involvement with a charitable cause was to be nominated to the board of SIH (Society for International HELP). As I said earlier, SIH works to improve education in Pakistan. An important factor determining one's involvement in any organization is trust, ensuring that funds are not being misused and that other people are not in it for personal gain. I found that comfort level with SIH. SIH was the partner organization in the formation of HDF. After HDF was formed, I became much more involved with it. This is because HDF has a much larger agenda. We hope that as we are able to mobilize people for the betterment of Pakistani community, the results will be far reaching.
When my children were young and I did not want to travel for meetings etc, I was involved more in local community work in Tampa, Tampa's Islamic center and its local Pakistani-American association.

There are not many Pak-American organizations whose chairperson is a woman. What is your experience with this?

In Pakistani communities, at least in America, I don't think there are any restrictions on women's participation in community activities or organizations. All one needs is a willingness to work and spend time. I was among the founding members of the Pakistani American Association of a Tampa Bay, which is now a very active organization, and served as president for its first three years. I was also a founding member of the Florida chapter of APPNA and served as its president for the first two years. I am also on the board of PAK PAC, which is a Pakistani-American political lobbying organization.

I do see some restrictions placed on women participating in Islamic organizations and Islamic centers. This is unfortunate because women contribute a special perspective to religious issues and have much to offer. By ignoring women, these organizations are depriving themselves of a very valuable resource. I taught Sunday school for ten years and was on the board for the Islamic center for a long time. But many of the board members were not prepared to accept a woman in a leadership role and so I chose to leave.

Being a professional, mother and wife, how do you juggle all of these responsibilities?

I think the most important factor is my husband's support of my participation in these activities. Without that, I may still have gotten involved, but probably not to this extent. As I said earlier, when my two daughters were younger I did not get involved in any project for which I would have to travel and be away from home. I used to take long breaks during summer to be with them. I also imposed restrictions on myself when it came to involvement in hospital committees and administration, so that I would not have to spend my evenings in meetings etc.

Now that my children are grown and in college, I have the luxury to do whatever I want with my time. I still choose to proportion my time where I keep my involvement with the hospital work to a minimum. I do have a full time office practice.

Has a child connected to your work personally inspired you to do better or left you thinking?

I wish I could say that I have had a chance to connect with a child to this level. Most of our visits to the project sites are very short. At the most we can spend about a day in each project site.

However, I have attended many meetings of community organizations in different parts of Pakistan. I'm always inspired and amazed at how much insight the people have into their own problems and how eager they are to change things for the better. In the most "backward" of areas you always will find people who are concerned about the lack of education, poverty and health issues of their community. But they cannot do anything about it because they lack the resources and skills to make a change. We hope that HDF will provide both of these necessary ingredients to bring about that change. We believe that once people are motivated and enlightened, the change is inevitable.

What are your dreams for Pakistan?

I hope to see Pakistan as a progressive state, where people are educated, prosperous, and intellectually motivated. I would like to see religious tolerance and democracy (not necessarily the model that the West has), where people have a say in decision-making for themselves and future generations. I want to see women actively participating in the private and public sector. I don't think that without this our country can move forward. I believe that there is a need for building institutions rather than focusing on a few individuals.

Finally, I believe that the real change depends upon a change in peoples' thinking, without which there can be no progress in the real sense. We have to expose our people to new ideas and new ways of doing things, and create an environment where there is public debate on the issues facing the country with respect for dissenting opinions.

What can Pak-Americans do to help Pakistan?

One area where God has blessed Pakistani Americans as compared to their counterparts in Pakistan is financial well being. With the strength of the dollar, even a small amount from here can make a difference in the lives back home. For example, $15 per month will take care of one family's (consisting of 6-7 people) need in our project areas. That is really a small amount for people in this country. So we ask people to sponsor one or more families according to their resources.

Other than financial help, we have learned a lot in this country, e.g. religious tolerance, respect of dissenting opinions, working of democracy, establishment of institutions based on procedures and processes rather than personalities, large scale philanthropy to promote educational and charitable institutions, volunteerism etc. I think all of us in our individual capacity can promote these values among people back home.

Do you feel your children will do more for Pakistan than you are doing?

I am not sure if they will do more, but I am confident that will be involved one way or another. I believe that parents have a very strong impression on the children. My older daughter wants to go back and volunteer in Pakistan after graduation. I think recent events have also deepened the sense of identity among younger generation.

Is there anything else you would like to add?

I would like to invite people to become part of HDF. We are a transparent and responsible organization. We invite people to attend our board meetings, which are open to anyone who cares for Pakistan. We are very much aware of the fact that without grassroots involvement we cannot achieve our goals. Come and be part of this "movement for a positive social change" and make a difference in the lives of the underprivileged people in Pakistan.

Date/Time Last Modified: 5/3/2006 9:29:40 PM

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