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    Date:October 19 at 9:00am until October 22 at 5:00pm in UTC+06
    Place:395/C Block 2,Central Commercial Area,P.E.C.H.S,Karachi,Pakistan
    
    

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This is an immense pleasure to share with all of you that Visionary Foundation Pakistan has been selected as a partner organization with British Council Pakistan for delivering Five (5) Active Citizens Program Trainings in Karachi. This is a great milestone we have achieved after starting our Journey as a Youth Group in 2009, after receiving the same Active Citizen Program Training and these learning leads to us just after 3 Years as a Partner Organization with British Council. 

We can say that we are the 

SUCCESS STORY of what Active Citizen Program delivers to young people and to the community.

The British Council:

The British Council is the UK's foremost cultural relation organization dedicated to building the trust and understanding between people from all Cultural. British Council operates in over 110 countries and Pakistan is one of its highest priorities focusing on Arts, Education, English and Society.

Active Citizens Programmme:

Active Citizens Programme aims to develop leadership skills in young people around the globe. It facilities community and participation amongst young people through interaction with local communities .

Active Citizens links civil society networks, community leaders and community network in Pakistan, UK and 22 other countries across the world to deepen trust and understanding within and between communities.

The Active Citizens Citizenship Programme , is a complete (4) four days program aims to equip young leaders with skills to help them address social Issues, access decision making processes and contribute to building community cohesion with people of all generation through:

a) Capacity Building

b) Developing International Networks

c) Developing Youth-Led Social Action Programmes

d) Facilitating Policy Dialogue and much more

Who Can Participate?

1) Aged between 18 & 35.

2) Interest to work for yourself and for the community.

3) Good communication and active listening skills or a willingness to develop these skills further.

4) Resident of Pakistan.

5) Willingness to learn and broaden experience to a national and globe perspective.

6) Demonstrable interest in local community development.

7) Good team Worker, Confident, Motivated Enthusiastic.

Grab your opportunity as soon as possible by filling the Registration From today because preference will be give by FIRST COME FIRST SERVE BASIS.

A very competitive national and international exchange and awards opportunities will also be given to all the Participant of Active Citizen Program after delivering their Social Action Projects.

Please find the following link to register yourself for Active Citizens Program Trainings:

Registration From:

https://adobeformscentral.com/?f=oa5ELDDMNOC2ZuKkstupig 

OR

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/embeddedform?formkey=dFBNcTVfNU1nU0J0U19ENUl1cU5TR1E6MQ

If you have any query feel free to contact us:

Mr.Rashid Mehmood Khan

C.E.O

0323-2364687

Mr.Muhammad Arif

Training Manager

0300-2475682

Email:vf.pakistan123@yahoo.com

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EIDI for POOR Children

Dear Brother/Sister,  

Assalaamu Alaikum 

Visionary Foundation Pakistan started a UNIQUE Funds Raising Drive By The Name of
                                                  *EIDI for POOR Children.*

Don’t let this opportunity pass you by, give others the gift of kindness.

EID the day of Charity: Eid doesn’t just stand for an extravaganza it also involves charity and kindness for the poor and the needy.We believed that Eid is the best occasion to give charity and Muslims are recommended to assist the poor in bettering his life by whatever means possible.

It is BEST e.g of the World:

It was the day of celebration and a day of rejoicing. There was an air of festivity in the streets of Madina. All the people, both young and old were dressed in their best clothes, especially for this special day of Ramadhan Eid. As it was time for early morning Ramadhan Eid prayers everyone made their way to an open piece of land on the outskirts of the city of Madina. Holy Prophet Hazrat Mohammad PBUH arrived and led the prayers.

After they had finished they all greeted each other and everyone was walking back home. The children running and playing in excitement, smiling and laughing, without a care in the world. As Holy Prophet Hazrat Mohammad PBUH walked back home, he suddenly became aware of a little boy (Zuhair Bin Saghir) sitting by himself on the side of the path.

The little boy was crying and looked very sad. The Holy Prophet Hazrat Mohammad PBUH bent down and patted him on the shoulders and asked 'why are you crying?' 'Please leave me alone' sobbed the little boy. The boy didn't even see who was talking to him. The Holy Prophet Hazrat Mohammad PBUH ran his fingers through the boy's hair and very gently and kindly asked him again why he was crying.

This time the boy said, 'My father was martyred fighting, and now my mother has married again and my stepfather does not want me to live at home any more. Today is Eid and everyone is happy. All the children have new clothes and nice things to eat, but I don't have any clothes except what I am wearing. I have no food and I don't even have a place to live.

Holy Prophet Hazrat Mohammad PBUH said to him, 'I know how you feel, I lost both my mother and father when I was a little boy.' The boy was surprised to hear that it was an orphan who was comforting him, and when he looked up to his great surprise it was the Holy Prophet Hazrat Mohammad PBUH, and he immediately jumped up to his feet out of love and respect. Holy Prophet Hazrat Mohammad PBUH said to him 'If I were to become your new father and my wife you new mother, and my daughter your new sister, would that make you feel better?' 'Oh yes, that would be the best thing in the world!'

The boy started smiling. The Holy Prophet Hazrat Mohammad PBUH took him home and gave him new clothes and good food on this beautiful day of Ramadhan Eid. The boy indeed had a wonderful Ramadhan Eid that day.

We should think of others that are less fortunate than ourselves on this beautiful day of Ramadhan Eid. Not everyone has such a wonderful day. It is a day of celebration, but take a moment to stop and think of those who are less fortunate than ourselves by following the Sunnah of our Holy Prophet Hazrat Mohammad PBUH.

So If you are interested & spread this Massage of *KINDNESS* Participate It.

Give Happiness to poor Children in shape of* EIDI *,*Clothes* *Gifts* & anything In this EID. :-)

DONATE US: 
Acct Name: Visionary Foundation Pakistan Bank Name:
United Bank Limited Branch: Boat Basin Branch, Karachi
Branch Code: 1872 Account No: 200018955
Swift Code: UNILPKKA.

CONTACT US:
Office Address:
House No N-500 Sector 4/D Surjani Town Karachi,Pakistan
Phone N0: ++92-213-6910250
Fax No:    ++92-213-6910250

Mr.Rashid Mehmood Khan
 MObile No: ++92-323-2364687.

Mr.Dabeer Ahmed
Mobile No ++92-334-3431323

Email: vf.pakistan123@yahoo.com
Facebook link: https://www.facebook.com/events/433116386734604/

Be the change that you want to see in the world."

"Hugs can do great amounts of good, especially for children."

"Children are great imitators. So give them something great to imitate."

Waiting for your generous reply.

Thank You So Much

 Team Of Visionary Foundation Pakistan

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1st Pakistan Blind Youth Conference 2012

Theory of relativity: ‘Everyone has disabilities, just not the same kind’

By Our Correspondent

Published: March 25, 2012

The session trainer asked the audience to hug or shake hands with the person next to them. Ester Jane is hugged by the participant sitting next to her. PHOTO: AYESHA MIR/EXPRESS 

KARACHI: 

To help create a central support system and to give young people with special needs a platform, the first Pakistan Blind Youth Conference was organized by the Visionary Foundation of Pakistan at Regent Plaza Hotel earlier this week.

Despite the nonchalance of government officials and social organizations in showing support for the event, the conference did set a milestone by trying to bridge the gap between physically privileged and challenged people.

 

Besides young people and those with challenges, it was attended by a number of professional trainers and speakers who held the day-long proceedings. The events included workshops, discussions and training sessions.

The conference was initially supposed to be three days long but the organizers had condense it because no government department and not enough organizations were willing to sponsor or be partners.

The chief executive officer of the foundation, Rashid Mahmood Khan, was quite candid in sharing his experience. “I regret that we did not receive enough support from the government and community. Although we had to take loans, we managed to pull off the event anyway,” he said. “It is unfortunate that the people think it is enough only to donate money to organizations working for disabled people. But people back off when it comes to opportunities that may help develop an inclusive society.” 
 Yet, Khan appeared hopeful that if these events are held regularly then they will finally be able to change the behavior of a society and the government towards people with different needs.

A participant of the conference, Muhammad Sarmad, agreed. “Today I have actually learned that there is no difference in the abilities and skills of the able-bodied and the so-called disabled,” he said. “Our society tends to make assumptions about people who are apparently disabled in any way without considering the fact that we are all disabled in different ways.”
Another participant, Mehreen Ali, also endorsed these views. She thought that people with disabilities were more able in many respects because they were the ones who actually knew how to live with the difficulties of life. Visually challenged Salman Elahi, who is also a PhD student in sociology, commented that the visually challenged and people with unimpaired eyesight should find ways to work together to develop an inclusive and barrier-free society. “We [people with challenges] have made a false perception of being inferior to [other] people,” said Elahi, adding that this perception keeps people with physical challenges from proving themselves in front of the world.
Another visually challenged participant, Ester Jane, works on removing false perceptions about people with special needs. She teaches at the Government Special Education Complex and never misses any event to promote her cause whether big or small. Jane has even visited other countries to try and learn as much as she can. “In this way, I can tell people that what I’m doing in my life, they can do it as well,” she said. Ahsan Rizvi, a certified cooperative trainer for the visually challenged people at Pratham, an Indian NGO, candidly shared that he was a pampered child till he met Jane. “She used to come to university on the bus while I used to wait for my chauffeur-driven car,” he said. “I thought if she could do everything and go everywhere despite her [challenge] then why could I, who was ‘perfectly normal’ not do the same? I have learnt a lot from Jane and still do.”
Published in The Express Tribune, March 25^th, 2012. 

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1st Pakistan Blind Youth Conference

 Location:   Regent Plaza Hotel & Convention Centre, Karachi, Karachi, Pakistan-

 Description:        We are making history.....

   Exclusive Media Partner                       Visionary Foundation Pakistan

Inspired to change the fortunes of persons with disabilities in Pakistan, the Visionary Foundation Pakistan is organize the 1st Pakistan Blinds Youth Conference to be held in Karachi, Pakistan in March 2012. Pakistan Blind Youth Conference (PBYC) is a youth forum targeting young people with disabilities and able Youth between the age of 18 -30 years from Pakistan. It is designed to guide young people with disabilities and Youth towards ethical living and mature leadership and challenge them into trans-formative acts of service. It is a program of Visionary Foundation Pakistan, a network of people committed to the transformation of society based on change in individuals starting with themselves.

The theme for the 1st PBYC will border around social awareness , issues of persons with disabilities and bringing positive change in society to become Disable-Friendly Society. Dubbed, “Youths & People with Disabilities : Together Making it Happen”, the forum will seek to address the issues of people with disabilities and other significant components of creating and attaining a culture of tolerance within the Pakistan. During the conference, participants will be challenged to examine their relationships and role in building a cohesive/ harmonious society. They will be encouraged to look at their own hopes, fears and motivations through workshops, times of reflection, plenary sessions and community work.

Justification
Meaningful people with disabilities and youth engagement is built on the recognition that every young person has something to contribute to continues betterment of society. Research has shown that youth who have been positively engaged and are active participants in society turn into adults with less health, career, family and societal traumas and distresses. Additionally, they are better able to handle those stresses and in turn give back to society more effectively and generously. As a result they will have a positive influence on their peers and can even be role models for younger generations. The moment this decadence is staunched, less energy and resources will be spent on corrective measures for the coming generations.

Objectives:

1. To create a central support system for young disable youth of Pakistan to
address the issue of persons with disabilities.
2. To bridge the gape between Disables and Able Community.
3. To raise the awareness regarding issue of Blind People.
4. To interact / show case the potential of persons with special needs.

Date and Days :
23rd of March 2012
.
Registration Free for all

The last date of the form submission is 15 March 2012; online forms are accepted for registration. Follow the ink for registration:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dFo2NTU2cnR2V1l3SGx6ZWxxU21rSnc6MQ

Mission	To develop disable friendly society.
Awards	British Council recognizes the efforts of Visionary Foundation Pakistan and have been awarded with ‘Active Citizen of the Year 2009-10’.

Phone	03232364687,03122330204
Email	pbyc2012@gmail.com.
Website	http://www.vfpakistan.com/ https://www.facebook.com/PakistanBlindYouthConference http://www.visionaryfoundationpakistan.blogspot.com/

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Khidmat-e-Khalaq Stall

  Public Event for Visionary Foundation.

When

Tuesday, January 24, 2012 at 10:00am until Saturday, January 28, 2012 at 11:00pm.

Where

ST-5, Sector 4C, Surjani Tow, Karachi.

Description

‘Visionary Foundation Pakistan’ is registered by the Joint Stock Companies, Government of Sindh vide registration Number KAR No 0036 0f 2010-11 and dully recognized by the British Council and rewarded with ‘Active Citizen of the Year 2009-10’ award.

Inspired to change the fortunes of deprived people and persons with disabilities in Pakistan, Visionary Foundation Pakistan is organizing “Five Days Awareness Stall by the name of “Khidmat-e-Khalaq” to be held under following schedule:

From:
24th Jan 2012 To 28th Jan 2012

Timing:
10:00 am To 11:00pm

Days:
Tuesday to Saturday

Location:
ST-3, Sector 4C, Near Markazi Muraqaba Hall, Surjani Town, Karachi

The Objectives of the stall are:

1. To raise the awareness regarding issue of Blind People.
2. To create a central support system for young disable youth of Pakistan to address the issue of persons with disabilities.
3. To bridge the gape between Disables and Able Community.
4. To interact / show case the potential of persons with special needs.

The stall is designed to guide youth / civil society member / general public and people with disabilities towards ethical living; mature leadership and share them with transformative acts of service. It is a program of Visionary Foundation Pakistan, a network of people committed to the transformation of society based on change in individuals starting with themselves.

The Visionary Foundation Pakistan forum will seek to address the issues of people with disabilities and other significant components of creating and attaining a culture of tolerance within the Pakistan. During four days stall, visitors will be challenged to examine their relationships and role in building a cohesive/ harmonious society. They will be encouraged to look at their own hopes, fears and motivations through feedbacks, discussion, and times of reflection.

This complete event will be listen through Web Radio by Radio Vision Pakistan Live at  

www.vfpakistan.com/radiovision
and
www.visionaryfoundationpakistan.blogspot.com


You are invited to visit this stall and be a part of change and make a difference in the lives of Persons with Disabilities.

For Further details, Please Contact:

Mobile: 92-323-2364687; 92-334-3431323
E-Mail: vf.pakistan123@yahoo.com
Website: www.vfpakistan.com
Blog: www.visionaryfoundationpakistan.blogspot.com
Facebook link : https://www.facebook.com/events/247736205299539/


Regards

Rashid Mehmood Khan
Chief Executive Officer
Visionary Foundation Pakistan

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British Council SAP Awards Ceremony

LAHORE Passionate, well-trained and educated youth can do wonders for the society. British Council Pakistan has been actively working with different youth groups, which carried out tremendous efforts for progress and development through their Social Action Projects (SAP). As an appreciation of their work an awards ceremony is being held in the city.  Representatives of the organizations and groups that have done wonderful work for community and youth development from across the Pakistan have gathered for their annual meeting. A one-day leadership-training workshop was held at Pearl Continental Hotel on Thursday. On Friday an event has been organized at the same venue to celebrate what the Pakistani youth can do in their communities. 30 groups who have done great examples of local citizenship would be being highlighted. The groups include “Visionary Foundation Pakistan” (Karachi), Bright Development Association (Quetta), Amozgha Youth Group, KilliAllabad Youth Group, G-Rangers (Lahore), Ghotki Active Youth Group, Youth Vision Group Kotri, Janbaz Youth Group (Multan), Honest Youth Group, Kapasi, Voice of Youth and Youth for Peace.  The inauguration ceremony would performed by AisamulHaq and Ali MoeenNawazish. An exhibition has been arranged wherein the youth groups would showcase the Social Action Projects that they are working on. One case study from each province would be showcased before the audience. Chief Minister Punjab MianShahbaz Sharif would distribute awards amongst SAP award winners. Head of Programmes British Council ShaziaKhawar and Programmes Development Manager Martin Daltry. It is pertinent to mention here that the awards ceremony this year serves two purposes: Firstly to celebrate the success of Young Active Citizens and encourage them in their efforts by presenting awards to selected youth groups who started exceptional social action projects in their communities. Secondly the launch of our National Social Action Project which will aim to focus the collective attention and energies of our trained Active Citizens on one central theme: education. A big part of the strategy will be to raise awareness about, and to promote Article 25A. Article 25A guarantees free and compulsory education for all children aged 5-16 in the recently amended constitution.

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IInternational Volunteer Day [IVD] 2011

United Nations Volunteers [UNV] in Sri Lanka celebrated the International Volunteer Day [IVD] 2011, on 5 December with the South Asia Launch of the first State of the World’s Volunteerism Report [SWVR] and Volunteer Awards [V Awards] “Unveiling of the Finalists”. 

Due to its impressive contributions in volunteerism, Sri Lanka has been chosen to launch the SWVR in South Asia. Key officials, from the UNV Head Office in Germany as well as the UN country team in Sri Lanka, were present at the Ceylon Continental Hotel in Colombo at 9.45am on Monday, 5th December 2011 as the embargo was lifted to deliver an overview of the report and explain its importance to the region and to the island.

 

V Awards is an initiative of the National Steering Committee of the International Year of Volunteers Tenth Anniversary (IYV +10) in collaboration with News 1st. The concept behind this is to honour individuals who make extraordinary contributions to the society and to identify the role models and champions who can inspire a nation to volunteer for social causes. 26 of Sri Lanka’s most inspiring citizens were recognised as shortlisted nominees and 15 were honoured as the finalists for their voluntary contributions at the V Awards “Unveiling of the Finalists” held that evening at the Stein Studios (MTV/Sirasa) in Rathmalana with over 800 guests. The evening was made glamorous by many artists and a true spirit of volunteerism was displayed by the presence of around 100 young V Force volunteers present on the day.

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Interview: Celebrating diversity. Dawn News

(I personally APOLOGIES to Visually Impaired Persons for miscommunication of word "Introduced Web Radio in Pakistan".. I personally say we just initiated Radio Vision Pakistan, in Support of Visually Impaired Persons. (Rashid Mehmood Khan)).

Mr.Rashid Mehmood Khan, The C.E.O of  the ‘Visionary Foundation Pakistan (VF.PAK)’, is a young social worker and entrepreneur. He is working for people with disabilities and has initiated the ‘Braille books project’ for visually impaired students.

Following are the excerpts from the interview:

1:You started social endeavours at a very young age. What attracted you to this field?

I was part of the oblivious youth until two years back, when I realised that our destiny lies in the hands of young people and decided to be the initiator of a positive change in the community. I always knew that small gestures bring immense changes; therefore I wanted to make a small effort that will bring an enormous change in my country.

2:How was Visionary Foundation Pakistan (VF) formed? What are its activities?

I didn’t plan to form the organisation, it just happened. We used to visit the government hospitals, orphanages and Edhi Centres. Once we visited the head office of the Pakistan Association of Blind House (PAB) in Karachi and met with some very energetic and self-motivated visually challenged  people. They didn’t have any Brailled books to read from and they had to engage a paid writer to help them take examinations. We decided to help them and requested the PAB House to help us learn Braille. We’ve transcribed three course books into Braille and the fourth one is in the pipeline.

We’ve also formed a ‘Writers bank’ where our volunteers help the blind write their exam. So far, we’ve provided six writers to them. I wanted to help the disabled people and formed an organisation which works for their empowerment and looks into their problems, education, health, capacity building, rights and employment opportunities.

Our organisation has commenced various projects. Some of them are: Braille syllabus books, working on the fourth Braille Book, audio Cd's, Radio Vision Pakistan (Online Radio Project) and Vision Mother & child Welfare Health Care Center  

3:What does the success of VF Pakistan mean to you?

It means I’ve made a successful attempt to bring a positive change in my society. I’ve put all my efforts in this organisation and have thought of every possible way I could help the blind. My organisation may not be very established like any of the Edhi Centres, or popular like Shaukat Khanam Hospital, but at least I’ve made a humble attempt to help mankind and I’m pleased with it.

 4:How empowered are the disabled people in the country?

I’m afraid, not much! They are neglected in every field. The government has reserved two per cent quota for them but it isn’t implemented. Besides, jobs opportunities are very limited for them.

To encounter this challenge, we’re raising awareness that all buildings, shopping malls, universities, schools, parks, railway stations, hospitals and even homes should be disabled friendly. We shouldn’t segregate and make fun of those who are deprived, rather we must accept them—after all this is called ‘celebrating diversity’.

5:What should be our youth’s contribution in the community’s development?

Only the youth can save the state. It’s high time that young people wake from their deep slumber and smell the coffee. They should realise the power of community work and start participating in social projects as much as they can.

6:What are your future plans?
I am planning to open a Vision Academy at suberb area of  Surjani Town, Karachi. & Conduct a 1st Pakistan Blind Youth Conference as well.

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The vision to see the needs of the blind

The Visionary Foundation of Pakistan is working for the visually impaired by translating books into Braille. 

 

KARACHI: “Why do people want to help us in minor tasks and not allow us to do them on our own,” says Ali Tareen, a first year student at Ida Rieu, a school for the deaf and blind.


Undue sympathy is not what people with visual impairments are looking for, Tareen clarifies, and complains of marginalisation. However, there are those whose assistance is welcomed by people living with blindness. One such organisation is the Visionary Foundation of Pakistan, a group of almost 25 people who got their inspiration from a youth workshop in 2009 to work for the blind in Karachi.
In a short span, the Foundation has already achieved many milestones for the visually impaired while it looks to scale greater heights. For instance, the foundation aims to translate all the books of the Sindh Textbook Board into Braille. “We could have done that manually but it is almost an impossible task to transcribe hundreds of books for candidates appearing every year,” said Rashid, one of their members. He said that they are trying to buy Braille printers with computer programmes that can translate into Braille.
One such printer costs about Rs. 0.45 million. While data is not maintained by the government on the population of people with disabilities in Pakistan, the last figures released by the World Health Organisation and Pakistan Ministry of Health in 2006 show that there are almost 1.49 to 1.54 million blind people in the country.

Other tasks the group has undertaken are spreading awareness about the way people with visual impairments are treated and their rights. “We found that a major problem blind people faced was that public transport drivers don’t stop for them as they take longer to get on and off the bus,” said Rashid.
“We coordinated with the City District Government Karachi and trained 50 drivers of the Green Buses to cater to people with disabilities,” he said. “The ultimate result was that the drivers became more patient reserved seats for them in the front row.” Another problem that the blind face is a shortage of people to write exams for them as there are no Braille papers or examination systems in Karachi. “As soon as the date sheet for board exams comes out we have to worry about appropriate writers who are one year younger than us academically according to the Board rules,” said Tareen. “People have now made this a business and charge us between Rs2,000 to Rs8,000 for a year’s papers,” he said.

To address this particular problem, the Visionary Foundation arranged four writers who will be assisting this year’s 50 registered blind students for class nine examinations. The foundation has since reached out to motivational speakers, doctors, government organisations and the British Council to assist in their mission.
But so far almost all of the efforts have been funded by the members of the group, said Rashid. Mohammad Hussain, the National Coordinator of the Pakistan Association of Blind said that all associations serving the visually impaired have offices in cities and in busy areas. He also pointed out that the construction done in the city in the last mayor’s regime paid no attention to the needs of special people. “So what if we are blind, aren’t we part of society?” he questions.

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The AYCPF’11 organizing committee has the pleasure to invite MR.RASHID MEHMOOD KHAN CEO OF (VF.PAKISTAN)  As a guest speaker & MR.DABEER AHMED as a National Delegates to attend “Asian Youth Conference & Peace Festival 2011 (AYCPF’11)” as “National Delegate”. The conference is scheduled to take place from 28^th – 30^th September 2011 at Al-Hamra Arts Council, the Mall, Lahore, Pakistan.

Expected to draw over 500 delegates from around Asia, the AYCPF’11 is being organized by Chanan Development Association (CDA) (www.cdapak.org)’ a National Youth Lead Organization’ in collaboration with Information, Culture and Youth Affairs Department, Government of Punjab and United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).

This year the theme of AYCPF’11 is “Together, We are the Solution!” while sub-themes of the conference include Day 1: Youth Participation & Leadership, Day 2: UN Millennium Development Goals & Day 3: Celebrating Diversity for PEACE.

During the 3 days conference succession of diverse events, including thought provoking panel discussions, skill building workshops on a wide range of issue, solutions that can bring us closer to meeting the Millennium Development Goals & practicing intercultural dialogue, will take place and your participation will undoubtedly be a significant contribution in the conference.

Please accept this letter as formal invitation.

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