Foundation Overview & Update - June 2011

Background and Governance

Abaseen Foundation UK (AF UK) is a charitable trust established under a declaration of trust on the 4th December 2002 and registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales in 2003. The Foundation pursues its charitable objectives by way of partnership with the Abaseen Foundation Pakistan (AF PK) and does so under a protocol for joint working dated October 2002. AF PK was established in March 2000 and was registered with the Government of North West Frontier Province Social Welfare Department on in September 2000. Together these organizations comprise the Abaseen Foundation.

From its inception good governance has been regarded as a key organizational and partnership goal and the Foundation has been involved in the production of the Charity Commission’s recently published Charities and Terrorism, the first chapter of its Compliance Toolkit Protecting Charities from Harm  http://www.charity-commission.gov.uk/library/toolkitsum.pdf

Key characteristics and underpinning principles of the Foundation

• Eight years of informal support and contact between individuals in the UK and Pakistan preceded the establishment of both foundations.
• AF UK is a non denominational medium to small sized charity that draws its support in the UK from a wide range of communities and ordinary people. It employs no staff and pays virtually no expenses, for example Trustees who visit Pakistan once or twice a year pay their own travel and accommodation costs.
• AF UK’s partnership with the AF PK involves a two way transfer of knowledge, management support and expertise. For example the research activities include the repatriation to the UK of health research outcomes that contribute to improving health provision to south Asian communities in the UK.
• Its underpinning object in relation to its projects is to develop sustainable replicable models of good practice within existing structures and government policy; and work within communities
• The relationship between the Foundations is transparent, at times combatively constructive with recognition in Pakistan that one of the principal benefits from the UK is a continuing focus on good governance and exemplary project management.
• A principal strength of AFPK is a track record of delivering projects on time and to specification together with high standards of good governance that are recognised by international donors, multi-lateral organisations  and government. This has led to an expanding number of continuing projects being entrusted to the Foundation by UNICEF and other international donors in KP and FATA.

Core Objectives 

The Foundation works in four principal but interlinked areas of health, education, research and humanitarian relief.

Health

The Foundation has a strong track record in delivering sustainable projects in healthcare.  This includes taking on responsibility for Nahaqi Hospital; a non functioning 22 bedded Government Emergency Satellite Hospital on the edge of Peshawar, its equipment, staff (who continued to be paid by the Government) and infrastructure.  Today, through a unique partnership between the Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the AF UK and PK, the hospital is providing healthcare that makes a real difference to local people.  The hospital is very near to becoming self sustainable and is regularly treating 70,000 people per year as opposed to 13,000 in 2001.  It is regarded as the model “public/private partnership” in NWFP.  Building on this projects further health projects have been developed including entering into a similar arrangement with a government hospital in Swat and a range of mother and child community projects in Swat and Kohat.

Education

The Foundations have from their inception identified the link between health and education and developing the latter is currently a principal Foundation focus. This has included the refurbishment, reopening and running of two schools (5 to 11 year olds – 1 boys and 1 girls) on the outskirts of Peshawar on the border with FATA (where there is no government school) for brick kiln workers (poorest of the poor and very low life expectancy) children.  The Foundation is opened the first phase (for girls)  of a fee-paying educational complex nearby (Mian Gul School) in Shamshatoo in FATA in April 2011 for 12 to 18 year olds plus adult education and training in the same area.  In addition we are supporting a local madrassa with the intention of bringing it in as a partner in the education system comprising the above schools.

Research

The Foundation is working in partnership with the University of Central Lancashire and delivers award winning research (Times Higher Education (THE) 'International Collaboration of the Year' Award Winners 2010: UCLAN Division of Sport, Exercise and Nutritional Sciences) contrasting and comparing the health of women from South Asian communities in Lancashire and in the Nahaqi area.  A focus of this research is nutrition and maternal health and is a key component of the recently funded health projects referred to above.

Humanitarian Relief

The Foundation tries to avoid involvement in humanitarian relief but on occasion it cannot be avoided. It cut its teeth providing relief and assistance following destructive floods around Nahaqi Hospital in 2004.  It was heavily involved in responding to the 2005 earthquake and more recently the 2010 floods supported principally by extensive funding from Quaker meetings throughout the United Kingdom and abroad. In addition the Foundation has been engaged in providing healthcare to a range of Internally Displaced People camps (arising from the security situation) in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

Financial Essentials

Since its establishment AFUK has raised £561,910 in direct donations/grants for direct use to the AFPK for the pursuit of their joint charitable objectives. These sums have been raised through a range of fundraising activities. In addition since 2003, major grants have been raised by the Foundation in Pakistan totalling approximately £3 million.

Conclusion

Both Foundations seek in their partnership to work to work across cultural, religious and political boundaries to benefit the peoples of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the United Kingdom.  Due to the recognition and experience of operating successfully in KPK, the Foundation is increasingly being called upon to deliver a greater number of projects and has expanded its operation that now includes about 400 staff (approximately 300 of whom are project based) in Pakistan. In the last few months the Foundation has been invited by UNICEF to develop proposals for projects in FATA in support of the latter’s expansion of its activities in that area.