President Mamnoon Hussain Tuesday said Pakistani nation’s spirit of philanthropy was laudable, but there was a strong need for a joint public-private mechanism to maximise the benefits of welfare activities.
Addressing at the launch of Individual Philanthropy Report here at National University of Science and Technology (NUST), the president said an effective mechanism between the welfare organisations of government and individual trusts could yield better results.
The president said philanthropy was a symbol of living and caring nations and expressed satisfaction that Pakistan had numerous examples of welfare hospitals and schools for the purpose.
He emphasised on promoting the spirit of philanthropy in the country by raising awareness and suggested that the subject could be included in the educational curriculum in view of its importance.
He said Pakistan Centre for Philanthropy (PCP) should take a lead in this regard and act as a bridge among different welfare organisations to streamline the charity work on a transparent basis.
The president also called upon the people to promote tax culture to support the government in carrying out public welfare projects.
He said Pakistan’s economic conditions had experienced improvement, adding that the positive ranking of international organisations given to the country was a testimony to the fact.
He said the government was fulfilling its responsibilities despite financial constraints.
NUST Rector Naweed Zaman said the NUST had incorporated community service, development, and engagement into its core values, and the NUST Community Service Club (NCSC) supported by NUST schools and administration had spearheaded relief efforts in times of emergency besides offering a compulsory Community Service Learning (CSL) course as part of all undergraduate programs.
Rector Zaman mentioned that one of our projects ‘Education for Empowerment’ had recently won the Talloires Network’s prestigious MacJannet Prize for Global Citizenship.
PCP Board of Directors’ Chairman Zaffar A Khan in his welcome remarks highlighted that the study was a comprehensive exposition of trends of individual charities and its channelisation to individuals and organisations to improve people’s lives.
PCP Executive Director Shazia Amjad informed that the study was based on a sample of about 10,000 households covering the four provinces in Pakistan.
She said the findings revealed that the total estimated magnitude of household giving in Pakistan was around Rs 240 billion in the year 2014, and that about 98 percent of households reported giving in cash, in-kind, or time-volunteered.
