From: "Zindagi Trust, USA" <hiba@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: February 22, 2008 6:55:45 PM EST
To: pakistan@xxxxxxxx
Subject: Events & Updates from Zindagi Trust, INC
Reply-To: hiba@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Zindagi Trust, USA
LATEST NEWS
Shehzad Roy Speaks Out!
Zindagi Trust & Microsoft Partner Up
Donate To Zindagi Trust Through Shopping Online!
LINKS
Zindagi Trust Website
Maatiam Website
RECENT PRESS!
Seven Torchbearers for Beijing Olympics 2008 from Pakistan were
unveiled at ceremony held at a local hotel, including Shehzad Roy,
Pakistani Pop Singer and President of Zindagi Trust.
Torchbearers from Pakistan were picked on the basis of their
notable contribution to society of their ability to overcome
adversity to achieve personal and professional success.
Zindagi USA New Hotline Number!
Want More Information?
Call (407) 716-9733
PLEASE MARK YOUR CALENDARS!UPCOMING Fundraisers with Special Guests
Shehzad Roy, Shoaib Malik & Other Surprise Artists*
June 6th, 2008, Toronto, Canada
June 7th, 2008, Chicago, Illinois
June 8th, 2008, To be Announced
June 13th, 2008, Orlando, Florida
June 14th, 2008, Los Angeles, California
June 15th, 2008, To Be Announced
For more information on tickets please contact
hiba@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx or (321) 297-1076. Please inquire fast as
tickets were sold out at previous performances!!
*Surprise Artists Will Be Announced at Event
Dear Friends & Supporters of Zindagi Trust,
We hope that our quarterly newsletters will help update you on our
endeavours to continue the success of Zindagi Trust. We look
forward to keeping you informed!
"A Reason To Believe," By Shehzad Roy
WHEN I was 10 years old, I saw on the nine o'clock news on PTV a
woman with a dupatta draped round her head saying, "Pakistan
tareekh kay aik naazuk mor say guzar raha hai." Then I turned 20
and again saw a woman, this time not wearing a dupatta on her head,
saying with eloquence on the nine o'clock news, "Pakistan tareekh
kay aik naazuk mor say guzar raha hai".
Déjà vu, why? I tried to analyze the situation to find out how come
Pakistan is still stuck at the naazuk mor even after the passage of
many long years. I reached the conclusion that 50 per cent of our
knowledge lies in asking the right question. Government
functionaries, intelligentsia, armed forces, critics, human rights
activists and, for that matter, all stakeholders ask questions. But
they end up slinging mud at each other, for the simple reason that
the questions they ask are never right in the first place.
The question usually asked is: "Why is the state of health and
education in Pakistan in such dire straits?" The complacent
response is: "At least we have some schools and a few hospitals.
Something is better than nothing."
After pondering over the state of education and health in our
country, I realized that the "something is better than nothing"
view cannot apply to education and health. Just imagine, would so
many youth have agreed to become suicide bombers if proper
education had been provided to them by the state? If they had been
only taught to ask the right questions and had inter-faith dialogue
at the institutions they attended, they would have thought thrice
before embarking on mindless missions and most definitely have
refused to be used as a pawn in the hands of others.
When it comes to healthcare, a lukewarm (something) effort by a
doctor of questionable credentials (something), to cure a patient
by giving him a substandard (something) medicine or injection has
a high probability of killing the patient rather than curing him.
Quality education is every citizen's right and its responsibility
lies with the state. A paradigm shift is required in the mindset of
state authorities, the people and the education system to save our
future generations from destruction. The first step towards this
shift would be changing the textbooks.
Just by building schools, training the teachers, increasing
administrative controls, the issue of providing an education that
makes a 'thinking' individual, will not be addressed. A student
must learn from the textbook how to learn, change and inquire
freely rather than becoming a "lakeer ka faqeer". If we want our
future generations to ask the right questions then a culture of
discussion, interaction, proactive thinking and asking questions
needs to be encouraged.
It's high time that a quantum leap was taken in the education and
health sectors. Nothing is as powerful as the idea itself, whose
time has come.
The problems of education and healthcare are just the tip of the
iceberg. Multiple interventions are required to turn the country
around. To name a few: The state's failure to provide timely
justice (more than 70,000 under-trial prisoners are languishing in
Pakistani jails), housing, power, employment, communication, clean
drinking water (without which 250,000 children die annually) has
created problems that should prompt the rulers to declare an
emergency.
Whenever these questions are raised or talked about, most of us
say, "Oh bhai! This is Pakistan." My answer to this cliché is,
where you live should not determine whether you live happily or
live poorly and die.The difference between a developed or
developing rather declining country is that people in the former
are given a 'reason to believe' by the state and the media, that
they are working to achieve and maintain a decent living. Whereas
in the latter case, the state and the media fail to create this
'reason to believe' for the citizens. In the absence of this
'reason to believe', citizens lose a sense of direction and move
and act aimlessly. The absence of this also leads to lack of
thinking, questioning and movement by the citizens.
Only having a 'reason to believe' sets the ball rolling slowly, but
in the right direction. It is not strange when extraordinary people
do extraordinary things. But when they have a 'reason to believe',
even ordinary people start doing extraordinary things. That is
precisely the moment when a group of people start turning into a
great nation.
By Shehzad Roy
Article was featured in Dawn Newspaper in January, 2008
Zindagi Trust-Microsoft Signing Ceremony
Microsoft Pakistan signed MOU with Zindagi Trust on December 12,
2007. Microsoft Pakistan will provide Zindagi Trust with
information technology support, curriculum and training &
development at government schools across Pakistan.
The ceremony was held at Hotel Sheraton, Karachi and people from
different organizations and fields were present at the occasion.
Mr. Kamal Ahmed, Country Manager, Microsoft Corporation and
President Zindagi Trust, Mr. Shehzad Roy signed the MoU. City
Nazim. Mr. Mustafa Kamal was the chief guest of the ceremony. Also
present on the occasion were Secretary Education Sindh, Mr.
Mohammad Ali, and EDO, Education, Sindh Mrs. Fakhar Karim Siddiqui.
Speaking at the ceremony, Mr. Kamal Ahmed highlighted the
importance of IT in both government and private schools. He also
appreciated the efforts of Zindagi Trust and ensured full help and
support in IT education from Microsoft Corporation.
Mr. Shehzad Roy, President Zindagi Trust spoke about the importance
of education and particularly IT education in the government
schools. He also highlighted the importance the quality and
equality in education system.
Chief Guest Mr. Mustafa Kamal appreciated the efforts of Zindagi
Trust and also encouraged Microsoft to come forward and support
organizations like Zindagi Trust in providing the IT education
Shopping for a Cause Through Maatiam.com!
Do you shop online? Want to help non-profit organizations like
Zindagi Trust? If you do, this is perfect for you.
Now everyone can help Zindagi Trust and donating money without
doing anything different in your lives. Have any of you heard of
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For example, if you shop at expedia, Macy's, or Target, just to
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It is a new way to act more socially responsible - by shopping
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The website is simple, easy to use, and free. You can sign up in a
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Please take the time to sign up so we can raise more money for
children in Pakistan. It's easy and fast. What's better than
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of your own pocket money????
If you would like to donate to Zindagi Trust please mail checks to:
Zindagi Trust, Inc
9406 Wickham Way
Orlando, Fl. 32836
Contact Zindagi Trust USA's new hotline at(407) 716 9733 or
hiba@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx for more information.
Sincerely,
Zindagi Trust, USA
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