Pakistan Poverty Alleviation Fund (PPAF), in collaboration with HANDS and Shell Pakistan, held a ceremony, commemorating five years of integrated development initiatives in Goth Noor Mohammad, a settlement 25 kilometers from Karachi where the 25 percent of the city's trash is being bumped. The chief guest on the occasion was Jeannette Seppen, Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
In 2010, PPAF and its implementing partner HANDS along with Shell Pakistan began working in Goth Noor Mohammad to help residents transform their lives for the better. As many as 133 housing and 34 sanitation units were constructed with the village divided into 51 clusters of two to three housing units while each cluster having a common kitchen, toilet and a water storage tank. Over the past five years, PPAF has spent Rs 27 million on housing, infrastructure, solar lighting, health and education facilities while Shell Pakistan has contributed additional Rs 14.3 million for housing and provision of clean drinking water.
While interacting with the community members at the inauguration ceremony of Goth Noor Mohammad, Seppen in Pakistan said, "I'm proud to see with my own eyes a Dutch company making such a contribution to improve lives in this disadvantaged community. This project is a wonderful example of the social difference companies can make. In this regard, Royal Dutch Shell is in the forefront with their decent business philosophy and corporate social responsibility. Indeed, encouraging corporate social responsibility internationally is a priority for the Dutch government, he added.
Haroon Rashid from Shell Pakistan said, "It's all about opportunities and enabling people to benefit from them. It is heartening to see that the people in this community, through their hard work and a bit of assistance, are now in a position to chart their own destinies. From Shell's perspective, this is a proud moment as it reflects on our commitment to aid in sustainable development that makes indelible impressions on people's lives." Qazi Azmat Isa, CEO PPAF, said, "Pakistan is going through very challenging times but hope continues to exist. It is only when people from different walks of life come together for the common good that magic happens."-PR
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