Why Volunteer?

By Abdul Malik Mujahid

Many of us think of helping Pakistan in terms of sending money to a charitable organization or project abroad. However, there is a more concrete and involved way of making a difference that can also benefit us on a personal level: volunteering.

This requires us to give not our money, but our time, energy and skills for some part of our week or month to a good cause. Volunteering on the part of Pak-Americans, in many ways, will probably do more to help Pakistan than just sending money, although of course, money is always welcome and needed.

Helping others is part and parcel of our religion and culture as Pakistanis. Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) helped each and everyone without expecting any reward from them in return. He used whatever he had to better the lives of those around him. His voluntary actions all impacted humanity for the better.

Muhammad Ali Jinnah and Muhammad Iqbal, two of the stalwarts of the Pakistan movement, both used their intelligence, Western education and talents to wake up the Muslims of India. This can be considered a volunteer effort, since they were not paid for the "services" they offered, which have impacted millions of Pakistanis. Iqbal did this with his inspirational poetry. Jinnah did this with his political acumen.

There are many ways Pak-Americans today can help Pakistan through volunteering.

If you are a doctor, volunteering your time can mean getting involved in a project that strives to improve the health of Pakistanis deprived of medical care due to poverty. While this could mean spending next summer working in a clinic or hospital in Pakistan for free, it could also mean staying put in America and helping. For instance, so many Pakistanis are unaware of the importance of nutrition. You could translate health information that is free and accessible on the internet from US government websites into Urdu or the local language of your city or village in Pakistan and arrange to have it distributed to households there.

Similarly, if you are a teacher, you can offer to take a sabbatical and spend that time teaching in a village school for free. From here in America, you can perhaps develop a curriculum for a local school that incorporates many of the good educational ideas found in the American system and adapt it to the needs of students in Pakistan.

If you are a student with limited means, you could offer to help with a Pak-American organization, like the Human Development Foundation's secretarial work. You could type up information they need, organize files, etc. This will allow the organization to spend more time focusing on what it does best: the human development of Pakistanis.

These are just some ideas of how we can creatively use our skills, talents and time volunteering to make a positive change in Pakistan.

Motives:

Our motives in volunteering can turn our action into worship of our Creator (ibadah). If we do it for His sake then there will be reward at the day of judgement as well Insha Allah.

It is also important to remember that when we help others, we interact with them, leading to better communication and bridge-building. We will begin to see the people we are helping not in an arrogant or self-righteous way. Rather, we will realize that we too, have plenty to learn from them. By volunteering, we are actually forming a partnership for the benefit of everyone involved.

In addition, we are also giving back to the community. So many of us have either personally or indirectly benefited from Pakistan in some way or another. We or our parents have been educated there. This education helped us secure a good life. It also allowed us to a greater share of the world's opportunities than those who were not similarly educated. Therefore, we have a duty to give back our skills, talents and wealth.

Benefits:

There can be many personal benefits of volunteering. Some of these include that:

* You can learn a new skill while helping others

* You can develop leadership skills

* Your volunteer time donation may be tax deductible

* You may make new friends

* It is a great way of earning academic credit

* You may be able to run for some office

While these benefits should be considered, the duty and need to make concrete and positive change for Pakistan should remain foremost in the minds of Pak-American volunteers.

Happy volunteering!

Date/Time Last Modified: 6/18/2002 8:08:15 AM

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