Impak in the Press
Chowrangi Magazine (coming soon)
This Pakistani-American quarterly publication provides some perspective and "investigates the intersection of the Pakistani-American community". Nadia Shoeb (SP '05) writes about her experience in the Pilot Summer Program.
The Desi Connect - Nonprofit Spotlight
The DesiConnect, part of a set of e-magazine from the CulturalConnect spotlights people, organizations and viewpoints from the "young, driven, and forward-thinking." Their August 2006 issue features Impak and Co-Director Bilaal Ahmed.
The Saturday Post's Spotlight (outside link)
A popular online Pakistani-American weekly spotlights the Impak experience from its beginnings as a Pilot Program to the bold initiatives of the Quake Relief Summer Program.
Geo TV: Impacting Yourself (Requires Quicktime)
Imran Siddiqui presents for Beyond the Headlines/Khabron say Aagay at an iftar dinner for young professionals in the US.
The Friday Times: Making an Impact
Zehra Hamdani explores an organization that forges connections across the continents to promote positive experiences in Pakistan.
The News International: Impacting Pakistan
Ethan Casey points out a new, do-it-yourself era, where NGOs such as Impak are taking on initiates that were normally left to the state.
Work in Pakistan with Impak's Summer Program
In 2005, we first heard of a non-profit, Impak, taking 15 US and UK college students and connecting them with over a dozen NGOs and private initiatives in Pakistan for an interesting and unique summer program.
This year, Impak is offering a Quake Relief Summer Program (QRSP) to connect participants with established organizations working in earthquake affected areas. Following a short orientation in Islamabad, participants will join their selected host organization to begin an 8-week project. This year, Impak has partnered with Concern for Children, Indus Earth, and The Citizens Foundation to implement projects related to regional health, infrastructure and education needs. The program ends with a week-long retreat where participants come together to tour and trek through other parts of the country.
We asked Bilaal Ahmed (Impak) for several details on Impak and the QRSP. We hope you (or someone you know) can quickly take advantage of this unique opportunity to spend a summer in Pakistan, truly helping those who really need our help!
In the spring of 2004, three individuals based on three separate continents - myself (Bilaal Ahmed, USA), Sarah Karim (Pakistan) and Mustafa Hadi (UK) - initiated what would become Impak. Each of us was independently working on our own separate projects that brought youth and professionals from abroad to Pakistan and engaged in the humanitarian issues facing the developing world. At the onset, we didn't have any funds and had to volunteer time while still involved in our own professional capacities. I was particularly lucky to work with such amazing, dedicated individuals who didn't allow such constraints to impede the overall vision.
Impak's Mission ...
Impak has a very simple mission: to connect individuals to Pakistan through meaningful work and volunteer opportunities. In doing so, we are creating positive change for everyday Pakistanis that we work with and we are promoting understanding with the outside world. We are independent and not affiliated with any particular organization, creed, or agenda except for our common goal of promoting service and development in Pakistan on a purely altruistic, humanitarian level.
The 2005 Pilot Summer Program...
In the summer of 2005 we launched our first project, the Pilot Summer Program (PSP), that connected 15 individuals from the US and UK with a dozen organizations working with a variety of NGOs and private initiatives that were impacting Pakistan. The group, though largely of Pakistani origin, represented a diverse set of backgrounds and experiences. We had a future law student and government analyst working on sustainable wildlife projects for WWF Pakistan. An outgoing Rice University student and a Wellesley College graduate worked on women's issues at Shirkat Gah and Aahung, respectively. We also worked with one for-profit organization where a LSE student partnered alongside a graphic artist at Cinepax, which sought to create a family movie-going experience throughout Pakistan.
Like most pilot phases, Impak saw incredible challenges with a severe lack of resources. However, the patience and perseverance put forth by directors and participants allowed Impak to ultimately become a success. In using "exposure, experience, empowerment" as a model to measure success, there are some clear examples of what PSP participants have accomplished following their experience with Impak. Shenaaz Janmohamed went back to back Pakistan following the earthquake to volunteer with Relief International. Jon Miles will be going back this summer to Islamabad to intern with the Supreme Court. And Noorain Khan will be going to Oxford next fall as a Rhodes Scholar to do an M.Phil in Migration Studies.
The Quake Relief Summer Program 2006
Program Description...
The QRSP connects participants with established organizations working in earthquake affected areas. Following a short orientation in Islamabad, participants join their selected host organization to begin their 8-week project. This year, Impak has partnered with Concern for Children, Indus Earth, and The Citizens Foundation to implement projects related to regional health, infrastructure and education needs. The program ends with a week-long retreat where participants come together to tour and trek through other parts of the country.
Participants must bring forth initiative and utilize their skill sets to develop the projects of their host organization. For education, participants will work with local teachers to develop the curriculum and incorporate lessons that allow students to overcome social and moral upheaval. Health-focused projects promote general awareness of basic health and hygiene, including aspects of neglected care following the earthquake. In infrastructure, projects seek to enhance local capacity in building sustainable structures.
These are just some of the projects that participants will be involved with. What they all have in common is that they're working with affected populations and focused on sustainable solutions to bring reconstruction and redevelopment to the region.
Benefits of the Summer Program
One important distinction about Impak is that it's not limited to students. Our mission is to connect individuals to Pakistan and, in the long-term, bring about a transfer of skill and understanding. Individuals that are selected are referred to as "participants" rather than interns; the latter suggests training and a one-way learning experience. Instead, we view this as a two-way path where participants gain from the experience of working in Pakistan while partnering organizations gain from the input of highly-skilled participants. Our current capacity allows us to only do a two-month summer program, making it more conducive to students who can easily devote that period.
Having said that, we expect a majority of applicants to be graduate or undergraduate students. For individuals seeking academic development or grassroots experience in a developing country, Pakistan is a unique and perhaps even ideal destination. The circumstances in Pakistan are not exactly favorable for a visitor but it is an important geopolitical destination that provides some perspective on how politics, religion, and economics intersect and affect the everyday lives of individuals. Through Impak's facilitation, participants -- including students -- have the opportunity to work in this region and learn some important life lessons that will make a significant impact on their personal, academic and professional development.
There are three stages that students initiate when they volunteer abroad: exposure, experience and empowerment. For anyone to take an interest in an issue, they must be exposed to it through some medium; there is perhaps nothing more powerful than to see something first-hand at a grassroots level. That initial exposure lends itself to a developed experience, where the individual can process all that he is seeing, whether it is in seeing poverty, speaking with locals, or persevering through difficult conditions. Once an individual has matured through the experience, there is a sense of frustration but, ultimately, a desire to empower oneself and change things. Impak works with its participants to bring them to the first stage of exposure. We believe that humanity and working with everyday Pakistanis will guide participants through the next two stages.
Our website (http://www.impak.org/vision.php) lays out general benefits that the individual gains from his or her experience.
Eligibility Requirements and Other Program Logistics...
What requirements do the candidates have to meet to qualify for the Impak summer program?
Impak is not for everyone. We have some specific requirements that they must be citizens or permanent residents of the US, UK or Canada. The other is that they must be 20 years old by the time the program begins. These are elaborated on our 'Requirements' page. Being of Pakistani origin or having the ability to communicate a Pakistani language may help in some cases but it is not mandatory.
We also look for certain qualities in a candidate that suggest they have the drive and initiative to work in Pakistan. That can be demonstrated in prior work experiences, academic excellence, project initiatives and travel experience abroad.
Impak encourages individuals to apply if they meet the two major requirements. We don't expect this year's program to be too competitive and believe that applicants have a fairly good chance of getting in if they are diligent when preparing their application.
Are there any expenses on the part of qualified candidates?
As a volunteer-run organization, Impak incurs only operational costs. In order for us to continue to work at cost, we require participants to pay a program fee and make arrangements for their airfare and travel visa. However, it's important to note what we've stated on our website regarding costs:
"We believe costs should not be a deterrent in allowing individuals to participate in our programs. Impak will assist participants with fundraising materials and provide direction in applying for public and private grants. Scholarships, based on financial need, may be awarded to participants for whom costs could be a prohibitive factor."
We recently filed our 501c(3) application and will be researching grant opportunities so that in the future we can offer our program at zero cost to the participant. At the same time, we need the local community, particularly Pakistani Americans, to step forward and donate to our program if they see value in our mission.
Making an Impact
Published in The Friday Times on 26 July 2005
By Zehra Hamdani
You probably remember meeting a foreigner with curious opinions of Pakistan. The roommate who asked whether your father believed in honour killings; the Swiss airhostess who marvelled at Pakistan's gay population, after seeing a couple of macho types holding hands; the chatty auditor who described band aids to you since, he imagined, they "don't have them in Pakistan." Such perceptions might make you think, is there hope for a country whose image is as tarnished as Michael Jackson's?
Sarah Karim, Bilaal Ahmed and Mustafa Hadi, all of them in their twenties, are nodding their heads. Over a period of 18 months and on three separate continents, they rolled up their sleeves to give Pakistan a much-needed make over. The result was Impak, a "not-for-profit" organisation that functions as a service corps, placing individuals from the US and the UK on 10-week internships within Pakistan. In the heat of early June this year, their Pilot Summer Program got underway. 15 Americans and Britons between the ages of 20 and 28 boarded flights to Karachi, with big plans to help Pakistan while experiencing the country on their own terms. For one summer, they volunteer at NGOs and organisations such as The Citizen's Foundation (TCF), the World Wildlife Fund Pakistan, Aahung, the Aga Khan University, Cinepax and Citibank. It's a juicy helping of changing the world, while absorbing some local masala .
Details of Impak's infancy vary depending on which of the three directors you speak to, but all accounts end the same way. Bilaal, Sarah and Mustafa have discovered a fabulous formula to connect overseas people with Pakistan. It's a simple idea, but it comes with substantial, beneficial results. "People have a skewed impression of the developing world," says US-based co-director Bilaal. "We're going to bring them here and break down their notions." As a Pakistani American running a consulting start-up in the Washington DC area, Bilaal became interested in starting a service corps while attending a six month field experience session in Pakistan. "It had a great impact on my life. I decided that it was important for others to see this side of Pakistan," he says. That's why the program includes group trips to Lahore and the Northern Areas.
But it's not just about changing Pakistan's image. Mustafa Hadi, a Cambridge University graduate who is a management consultant in London and is Impak's UK director, believes that the organisation is also about tapping into the un-chartered territory of third generation Pakistanis; using the ideas, innovations and talents of the doctors, engineers and professionals who want to help as vitamins for the country. Mustafa calls it a massive resource that's available to Pakistan. "And it's not just the short-term benefit of the interns and their work here," he comments, "they'll become ambassadors, and tell other people about Pakistan and its potential. It's a ripple effect." It may sound too idealistic if you're a cynic, but it works even on a superficial level: it's a form of tourism too.
Impak now has 15 bright sparks on its hands, each with a sterling resume. Pakistan based co-director Sarah, who currently manages corporate social responsibility at a multinational, said that they were "blown away" and "humbled" by the applications they received. There are people like Wajiha Ahmed, who is pursuing a BA in International Relations at Boston College and recently completed her junior year abroad at SOAS in London, so she can "be a part of" the world of Ghalib and Iqbal. For her Impak internship, she will be analysing the impact of human rights education at the Human Rights Education Program (HREP). Then there is Jonathan Miles, who holds a BA from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill and currently works full-time for IBM. In Pakistan, he is interning at the World Wildlife Fund Pakistan. There's Owais Siddiqui, studying for a major in Government at Harvard University, and as part of his Impak internship at the Aga Khan University, he is developing visuals to help community health workers.
The list is quite extensive. Ellen Mays holds an MA from Columbia University in Human Rights, with a focus in Education Development. With international volunteering experience at the Human Rights Education Program (HREP) in Pakistan, and having worked as an English instructor in Chennai and Hyderabad, India, her internship is at the Sindh Education Foundation. Noorain Khan is going on to the fourth year at Rice University. Having interned at Amnesty International USA, the Baker Institute Energy Forum, and the DC office of Senator Carl Levin, she is now interning at Shirkat Gah. Impak intern Habiba Hamid has completed her BA (Hons) in Politics, Philosophy and History from Birkbeck and an MSc in Globalisation and Development at the Institute of Commonwealth Studies and SOAS, all undertaken at the University of London. Habiba is interning at Citibank's Public Affairs' Office, working on their Corporate Social Responsibility program. And this is a just sampling of the mish-mash of shining minds that Impak has accumulated.
The program throws these dynamic characters into an American college dorm meets MTV's The Real World setting. In their apartments with glorious views of the ocean (Impak offers housing), they have charts that neatly outline their kitchen duties and chores. Each intern has to keep a journal. During the day they work on specific internship projects, and in the evenings there are workshops with various academics, personalities and officials.
You would think that Impak's directors were college friends, brainstorming over lattes in a university cafe. Instead, till fairly recently, they were strangers on different continents. Their chance meetings are the stuff movies are made of. After obtaining her undergraduate degree from Wellesley College in 2003, Sarah returned to Karachi in January 2004. Hoping to make her stay "meaningful in terms of contributing to Pakistan," she began working at TCF. During this time, along with 23-year old Aneeta Pasha (who is now Impak's program manager) and another friend, she created a document on how to connect Pakistan and the West. Later, she dropped a line to Bilaal, an acquaintance she'd met several months ago at, in her words, a random iftar in the US. He immediately shared what he had been thinking independently for some months: a program of development and trying to bring communities together. That was in April 2004. A month later, Sarah had another chance conversation, this time at TCF with a person who had come from the UK to discuss a summer teaching program for Britons in Pakistan. It was Mustafa, who, after hearing what Sarah had to say, exclaimed: "Dude, I'm hearing echoes."
Over the next few frenzied months, a 30-minute encounter at Heathrow, countless online meetings, document corrections and chaotic conference calls ensued. Despite the fact that they lived on different continents, the trio was formed (with a little help from local volunteers from each country) and Impak was born a healthy baby. Bilaal considered naming it Expak, short for 'experience Pakistan' but then dropped the idea.
The interns are delighted by the cost of the Summer Pilot Program, only $500 (not including airfare). This is much less than most programs of a similar nature. Impak raises money through regional networks via fundraising drives, individual contributions and grants from public and private institutions, but is looking for intern sponsorships and donations. The organisation has great ambitions for itself. Future plans include a fellowship of a year or more, and expanding the program to other Pakistani locations so that interns are not restricted to Karachi's lights, traffic and restaurants.
During their separate time abroad, Mustafa and Sarah realised that people are eager to visit Pakistan, something you don't hear every day. They recall the complaints about there being online programs whisking volunteers off to India, Nepal and Sri Lanka, but none to this part of the world.
Like her Impak colleagues, Sarah has grown up in Pakistan and the US, and feels that she has a "soft spot" for both countries. "I feel like a global citizen," she says. For Mustafa, the two worlds of Pakistan and the West are drifting apart. "They're mutually incomprehensible. For someone who has one foot in each, that's very scary," he comments. Impak lets the West experience Pakistan positively, despite the way it's portrayed in the media. "It's about connecting people," Mustafa says, and adds laughing, "like Nokia."
Impacting Pakistan
Published in The News on 7 June 2005
By Ethan Casey
Bill Clinton still has a way with words. During a fascinating hour last week on "Larry King Live," the interview show broadcast on CNN in America and around the world, one thing in particular that he said has left me feeling comforted and encouraged.
"You know, the big difference between now and 20, 30 years ago is -- in terms of public problems -- is that before you really had to try to convince a politician in power to do something," Clinton said. "Today, with the growth of the Internet and nongovernmental organizations, people have unprecedented power.
"Look at the tsunami thing. Thirty percent of American households made contributions, over half of them over the Internet. Look at the last presidential election. For the first time, small contributions raising more money than big ones. Look at the nongovernmental organizations. Look at what Bill Gates has done for education in America and for healthcare around the world in India and Africa. But also what countless other NGOs have done." (The full transcript of the interview is available online at www.clintonglobalinitiative.org.)
Clinton has his finger on something significant enough to make me feel better about his not being president anymore. From publishing to politics to marketing to terrorism, there's a decentralised, DIY (or do-it-yourself) mood in the air. It's disorienting and frightening and not without a downside: "We're raising private money and investing it in everything from banks to hospitals," Dr Paul Farmer of Partners in Health (www.pih.org) told me last year in Haiti. "Can we, and should we, as NGOs, give the state a free pass?"
Still, if something needs to be done, and the state's not going to do it, and you're the one who sees the need, who better to do it?
Bilaal Ahmed is a 25-year-old Pakistani-American who lives outside Washington, DC. "When people think of the Muslim world they see people fraught with problems of war, violence and hatred," he says. "When I see the Muslim world, I see social issues that are of greater concern than that, such as education and the need for jobs. At the same time, I see great potential and a humanity that remains hidden to much of the world. As a Muslim, I have a responsibility to my family, and beyond that to my community.
"Two years ago I had a six-month field experience in Pakistan that made me see my life in context. I decided that it was important for others to see this side of Pakistan. I think everyone should have such an experience. It had a great impact on my life. I felt a need to go back to Pakistan."
With his colleagues Mustafa Hadi, 26, in London and Sarah Karim, 23, in Karachi, Bilaal has launched Impak (www.impak.org), a non-governmental organisation that will function as a service corps. Impak launches its Pilot Summer Programme that will place Britons and Americans aged 20 to 28 -- not necessarily of Pakistani origin -- on 10-week internships with Pakistani NGOs, beginning June 20. The Pilot Programme based in Karachi is only the first phase in Impak's long-term vision of working throughout Pakistan with a variety of organizations and businesses. There will be 15 interns in the first class.
"Originally we were going to do eight," says Bilaal. "But we got so many amazing candidates that we decided to double the class size. Later we'd also like to bring older individuals, such as retired professionals, to share their skills and experience with organisations in Pakistan.
"Impak is a facilitator," he adds. "We link individuals, particularly from the US and the UK, with organisations in Pakistan. It's a two-way benefit: individuals get an opportunity to experience Pakistan and engage in grassroots work, while organisations receive highly qualified individuals to work on some challenging projects. We also hope that by being associated with Impak, an organisation will have opportunities to showcase its work and find more stakeholders in Pakistan and abroad."
Participating organisations in the Pilot Summer Programme include The Citizens Foundation, Shirkat Gah, and one private company, Cinepax.
Impak is meant to be more than an internship. It will also provide workshops and prominent speakers, and allow interns to experience the natural and historical aspects of Pakistan through group trips to Lahore and the Northern Areas. Participants will write journals which will be posted on the group's website.
"I have high hopes for the Pilot Programme participants," says Bilaal. "Much like my own field experience in Pakistan, where just by being there I was making a small difference. By coming back here to the US with that experience, I was empowered to make a bigger difference."