Human Development Foundation (HDF): 10th Anniversary

Adil Najam

For the last many days we have been carrying a Public Service Announcement banner in the comments section about the upcoming 10th Anniversary Convention of the Human Development Foundation (HDF).

I thought that I should say more about this and urge our readers in North America, and especially those living in and around Chicago, to seriously consider attending the Convention – to be held (US) Memorial Day Weekend (May 25-28, 2007) in Chicago. I know that the HDF team has been working very hard of putting together an exciting program which includes a thoughtful and thought-provoking set of panels and discussions but also a poetry session with Ahmad Faraz, music performances and a ‘Grand Bazar.’

Importantly, the Convention aspires to host meaningful discussions on social issues and human development in Pakistan with a clear focus on not only talking about important issues but designing action opportunities to do something about them.

I say all of the above not because I myself will be at the Convention as a speaker, but because I have long admired the work being done by HDF and have tried to contribute in whatever way I can. More than that HDF has a decade long track record of actually doing what it says; and doing it extremely well. It is this track record that the Convention wants to celebrate.

The HDF (not to be confused with the National Human Development Commission, which is a government outfit in Pakistan) is an independent US-based organization of Pakistanis which now operates multiple initiatives in Pakistan. While researching for my book on Pakistanis in America I found that HDF is one of a handful of organizations which command wide and deep respect amongst Pakistanis for its sustained performance in the social welfare sector. This assessment is further validated by Charity Navigator which has evaluated HDF as an ‘Exceptional’ charity and one that “exceeds industry standards and outperforms most charities in its cause.”

I believe that HDF is a vanguard example of Pakistanis in and out of Pakistan – one amongst many (e.g., DIL, Citizens Foundation, Edhi Foundation, etc.) – who have decided that it is not only that they can do something, but that they must.

On their 10th anniversary, HDF hopes to celebrate that which they have done in the last ten years but they also hope to discuss that which they and all of us can and should do in the next 10. It would be good for the ATP fraternity to also think about this question – what can we do – both here and, hoepfully, at the HDF Convention in May.

Here is a video clip of the beginning of the PBS documentary on HDF in their series called ‘Visionaries.’ The rest of the documentary is available on YouTube.

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Pakistan positive visionaries series 1

03:19

Here is the video ad for the HDF Convention now being shown on Pakistani media in North America.

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convention ad

05:09

[P.S. I hope other Pakistani bloggers in North America can also spread the word about the HDF 10th Anniversary Convention].