KARACHI: Speaking at a briefing of a nongovernmental organisation (NGO), Hands, Sindh Governor Mohammad Zubair appreciated the role of NGOs and said that their impact on the lives of people was immense and long-lasting. The governor said that it was a matter of pride for the entire nation that NGOs were being recognised and financially supported by international donor agencies and institutions. He added that this was a tremendous achievement. The governor said that the endorsement of Hand’s work in the field of health, education, livelihood, infrastructure and water and sanitation by USAID, UKaid and Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation in financial terms was a reflection of their faith and trust in the activities being carried out by Hands. He added that the services of welfare and charitable organisations were a source of motivation to all the philanthropists and they also acted as an extended arm of the government for providing basic amenities of life to people across the country. Appreciating the social uplift projects in Thar initiated by companies operating there, under their corporate social responsibility programmes, the governor said that the people of Thar were experiencing better education, health and infrastructure facilities due to these projects. He said that many schools, health centres, hand pumps and sanitation schemes had been completed and work on several such projects was in different phases of completion. He added that health and education were most important areas in the social sector, as they had a direct bearing on the lives of the masses. “The 37 years long services of Hands in these areas is a remarkable achievement,” he said. Appreciating the disaster management skills of Hands, the governor said that it had contributed a lot during natural calamities and disasters with relief and rehabilitation work. He promised to help and assist Hands in its future endeavours. Professor Abdul Ghaffar Billo, the patron-in-chief of Hands, thanked the governor for his promise of support and said that by enhancement in grant, the scope of Hands would broaden remarkably. Earlier, Hands Chief Executive (CE) Dr. Tanveer briefed the governor about the NGO’s projects . Hands, established in 1979, is an NGO that has a presence in 17,000 villages in 48 districts across Pakistan. Livelihood enhancement program (LEP) is just one of the projects being run by hands. Under LEP, loans are being provided to communities to earn their livelihood by setting up small businesses. The CE Hands said that 13 Disaster Risk Management Centers were also operating under Hands. He said that UKaid had been the biggest donor of Hands and it had donated almost 26 million pounds during last 6 years for various charitable projects. Published in Daily Times, May 18th 2018.