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Our History From a group of seven school children to GRACE Association Pakistan (15 years of institutional development). - Browse : Page 1 | Page 2 From WASO to WAFA (Waliul Asr Falahi Anjuman -1995): When the number of students increased at the school, the existing space became inadequate. WASO applied to the MARAFI Foundation of Baltistan for assistance and were considered on the condition that the land was to be donated by the community. Dialoging with the communities, youths, elders and other influential people established community involvement in the initiative, which in turn led to the formation of a community based organization with the decision making mandate as well as the role of developing community ownership of the initiatives. WASO transitioned into a formally registered institution named Waliul Asr Falahi Anjuman (WAFA), and under its umbrella, the community donated land for the construction of the school building. MARAFI provided PKR 3, 50,000/- for the construction of the school while the community provided free labor on the site, helping to increase WAFA’s savings which were later invested in the construction of a channel used to divert water from a 14000 ft high spring in a bid to overcome water shortages. This was a major achievement in motivating these communities into physically participating in the organizations’ activities – a hallmark of community sensitization. WAFA sought further outside support for new educational initiatives to meet the increasing demands within the community, which contributed largely to a change in the attitute of the community towards welfare and development. This deprived community, for the first time witnessing a local forum dedicated to bettering their lives, started to think of their immediate problems and so embarked on a process of improving their farming systems.  The dream of constructing the channel however, was only realized in 2004 when it was funded by WASEP, TVO and the Grassroots Initiatives, the National Environmental Action Plan Support Program; a joint venture of the UNDP and the Ministry of Environment. After the establishment of the school, WAFA planned and implemented a number of initiatives in education and expanded its areas of intervention to health, water and sanitation, environment and crop production. The biggest investment in all these areas was made by the community itself by donating land, contributing labor for construction, construction materials etc. Mobilization of the community as a whole is the cornerstone of WAFA’s achievements, which also guarantees the sustainability of its initiatives.
With the necessary internal management and procedures in place and through its effective project management experience, WAFA established a 14 year old legacy of launching and completing many successful and sustainable projects. At this point, the founders looked back and analyzed their achievements and failures, at the same time looking ahead towards new challenges and trends in order to establish more pragmatic approaches to future courses of action. This period of reflection highlighted the need for WAFA to further expand its areas of work in order to meet the needs of emerging challenges, as well as to enhance its capacity to grow from a regional to a national level organization. The journey of its growth is in itself such a unique experience that it is one of WAFA’s greatest strengths, which we believe needs to be shared and replicated as an essential element for achieving the Millennium Development Goals. As a result, in February of 2007, the management of WAFA registered the GRACE ASSOCIATION PAKISTAN as an independent Non Profit Organization (NPO) under the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan, Islamabad under section 42 of the Companies’ Ordinance 1984. By establishing a membership base from all over the country, GRACE has strengthened its status as a national organization, and by virtue of this institution, the ambitions of a group of seven school students’ has transformed into a national outreach program for the benefit of the most deprived communities in the least developed parts of the country. |
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About Grace
current interventions |
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future interventions |
 Partnership with Ministry of Special ... Dialogues with Pakistan Baitul-Mal ... Dialogue with Australian High Commission Direct Aid ... Centre for Independent Living (CIL) Australia ... Promotion of Green/organic Farming ... |
Mass awareness for changing food styles ... Coordination and partnership with UN ... Membership with USIAD and PCP ... Promotion of girls education in District Diamer ... Promotion of ecotourism in Northern Areas ... |
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