It is today we must create the world of the future.
Eleanor Roosevelt
Mission
-
Serve marginalized communities by providing education, food and other basic needs to build literate, healthy and thriving communities.
- Serve the most vulnerable with open hearts and open hands.
We are Growing-Please consider a Child Sponsorship
- We are serving the marginalized community of Chak Jal Din in the outskirts of Rawalpindi, Pakistan since August 2017. We are excited to report that 15 more children have been added to the program for a total of 30 children now receiving quality education in English medium schools. The new batch of children includes 8 boys and 7 girls. The age group ranges from 3 – 10 years, when children are most receptive to assimilation and learning. The new children have been selected based on needs assessment surveys and physically visiting the families to make sure that beneficiaries represent the poorest and most deserving. We have also sought to maintain an equal balance of boys and girls even though for this community the boys are less inclined to go to school and there is a drug epidemic in the boy youth of this population.With more children included in the program, the primary challenge was how do we transport all these children to school? The initial thought was to add an entrepreneurial angle to the program and support some people in the community with Rickshaws who would in return be responsible to take batches of children to school. However, when we started searching for the right people we found that to trust very young children with people who are not on our payroll and not accountable to us might be difficult to manage. The resolution came through a generous donation from an anonymous donor that allowed us to upgrade our Suzuki van to a Toyota Hiace. The vehicle is equipped with custom seating to allow all 30 children to sit. We are delighted that all children will stay in reliable hands of Rizwan, our van driver as they ride in a comfortable air conditioned vehicle in the summer.Another upgrade made to the program is that a second school, Station School 1 with better academic ranking has been added as an option for brighter kids. We have transferred 4 girls from our initial batch who were position holders at Station School 2 to the new school. Seven of the younger children in the new batch have also been admitted to this school. The school fee is a few hundred rupees more but we hope that it would provide more challenge and opportunity for the children who can handle it.There are two children from the first batch who are not doing well at school, efforts are being made to work with them for this year but if they are unable to pass then they will have to leave the program. All support will be provided for these children to continue their education in a local community school.
Knowledge is power. Information is liberating. Education is the premise of progress, in every society, in every family. Kofi Annan
Visit to pakistan
Esther Masih-Khan, President Canadian Open Hands Global visited Pakistan this February to provide oversight to the program, meet with the new hires and the contractor for building the Community Centre. Visit to Pakistan of any board member is always an opportunity to carry gifts for the children and women of the community. Special thanks to Ms. Susan who donated more than 30 dolls and a second donor who donated new clothes to bring for the children. The boys also got a doll to take home for their sisters if they had one. There were so many children who had never owned a doll of their own before and were super excited.
Also, a women’s get-together was organized to create an opportunity for Esther to connect with the community women, share the Open Hands Global vision and hear feedback on the program. At this event clothes were distributed to women and children that were so lovingly sent by the Canadian women.
Mishal’s Story
Mishal has been a star ever since she joined the program in 2017. She was selected the best dressed in her school and is a favorite of all her teachers. She is the eldest of 3 siblings and is a great support for her mother. Both her parents are janitorial workers and live in a joint family where four generations of women live in one home. This year Mishal’s mom had a fractured leg during exam time in February and she was so worried that Mishal had to cook and clean for the family instead of studying for her exams and attending after school classes. According to her mom Mishal had her book open even when she was washing a pile of dishes. Mishal made her mom and us so proud when she stood first in her class. We hope Mishal
Building a Community Centre
- We reported in our previous newsletter that we have acquired a piece of land within the Chak Jalal Din community where we serve. This land is designated for a Community Centre building that would ensure sustainability of the program and become a central hub for all community children and youth to access essential social, educational and health programs. The selection of a contractor who would build the Community Centre was done through a bidding process. Although all bids received were competitive, Mr. Lee a South Korean engineer working in Pakistan was selected based on his trustworthiness and commitment to marginalized communities.We are so humbled and thankful to report that work on the Community Centre was started this February and a Groundbreaking ceremony with community leaders and children was held to mark the occasion. The first step, boring a water well so that the Centre would be self-sufficient in water. Many people in the area discouraged us not to spend the money as there had been a few unsuccessful stories. We were confident that prayer was key and decided to move forward with due consideration of all recommendations. The ground was bored deeper than standard, up to 300 feet and hit clean water, a sufficient source of water for many years. The main structure of the first floor just got completed in June, still needs doors, windows and finishes for walls and floor. To date, $85K has already been spent on construction of the main floor. The structural work for the second floor is next. We continue to look to our donors for their generous support and hope that they can invest with us in this lasting legacy.
Fundraising in Canada
- Garage SaleAs previous year, we will have a garage sale on June 15th at the Evangel Pentecostal Church parking lot in Oakville. We thank all of you that have already donated your lightly used items. Please text or call Rukhsana Young at 647-229-8858 to make any donations.Fourth Annual Gala is Coming!Our annual Fundraising Gala is scheduled for 5th October, 2019 at Candles Banquet Hall, Mississauga. We look forward to a number of you attending and making it a success. All funds raised and donations from the Gala will go towards building the Community Centre unless you specify otherwise. For tickets, please call or text Esther at 416-627-4873.
Fundraising in USA
- Open Hands Global USA had their first garage sale in May at Freedom Park in Edgewood, Kentucky. It was a successful and profitable event with good participation from volunteers and community. The team was able to raise awareness about Open Hands Global and what we do. God showed His favor and it did not rain all day. They are looking forward to future fundraising endeavors in 2019!
- Thank you For Our support