In Support of Saving Abandoned Newborn Children

Written by: Karin Pinter
July 30th, 2010 at 11:31 am, filed under Nvision Media News

These days, helping charities has become so easy with tools like Paypal Donate and online credit card payment facilities. It’s hardly an excuse now not to drop a few bucks into their kitty, unless you’re really tight on your own budget, which I can respect. Just remember that every effort counts towards completing the bigger picture.

Some friends in Vancouver recently reached out to their friends and community to showcase some of their charitable work, so I thought I would share this with you too in an effort to provide additional awareness of their cause.

Shahada – A Society For Uniting Children with Parents, is a Registered Charitable Organization in Canada. Their goal is to raise $100,000 to fund various projects in Pakistan, which include:

Maternity Care, Hostel & Orphanage
There are areas of the world today in which the life of an unwed mother is intolerable. Without access to orphanages, desperate mothers are left with no choice but to do the unthinkable. One of Shahada’s primary goals is to provide orphanages in these areas and give these mothers another choice…

For a number of years Shahada has supported an orphanage in Gilgit, Pakistan, which cared for abandoned babies and facilitated international adoptions. Then Shahada decided it was time to start something new and self-sustainable.

“Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day.
Teach a man to fish and he will eat for a lifetime.”

With this new concept for the orphanage, and unlike other facilities in the area, all pregnant women will be offered maternity care at this facility – whether or not they are married. Confidential care and residence will be available for women needing shelter and protection during this vulnerable time. Unwed mothers will also be given the choice to place their child for adoption, in which case their child will be housed and cared for in the orphanage until adoption can be facilitated. Consistent with Shahada’s philosophy, income generated from the maternity care and delivery center will be used to support the on-going costs of the center.

How you can support the Orphanage & Maternity Care
You can make specific donations to help Shahada set the foundations for this self-sustaining project and save abandoned newborns by helping them purchase and pay for:
Ultrasound Unit
Medical Equipment
Medical Staff

Queen Academy
Shahada has gained local acceptance for their institution by supporting a local initiative in Chitral – a school that generates fees by a self-sustaining project of making and selling honey, called the Queen Academy.

At the beginning of the school year, every child is given a honey bee box. The families are taught how to make honey and with Shahada’s support, they are then able to sell the honey. The income generated by selling this organic, mountain-grown honey is enough to pay for the entire school fees for the following year (and then some!).

This highly successful, low cost, self-sustaining micro-finance project has led Shahada to use this model to create funds for other primary care needs such as health care, insurance and housing. At this time, this community needs 100 more honeybee boxes.

How you can support the Queen Academy
Scholarships – Shahada will be providing academic scholarships for the 20 most deserving students. For $4900, you could be the one to support this initiative. Shahada is also filling the gap in pay to increase teacher-retention by means of Teacher Scholarships.
Honey Bee Boxes – With a $10,500 gift you could be the Legacy Donor who educates 100 children for the long and multiplying life of the honeybee boxes.

Every Little Bit Counts
We encourage you to join us in support of Shahada’s commendable cause by providing financial aid to their projects – any and all donations are welcome.

For more information, visit www.shahada.ca