Give Peace a Chance through Health, Education and Entrepreneurship

I received some valuable feedback from readers on my earlier blog titled, Give youth a chance. Therefore, I am now revising and expanding the blog and have added a few more sections to clarify my point of view. So please keep those comments/feedback coming.

The health, education and employment statistics of Pakistan in general and NWFP province in particular are nothing short of a disaster. These numbers are further worsened by the influx of millions of Afghan refugees who have made the NWFP province their home for the past three decades or so.

NWFP or North West Frontier Province is the smallest of the four provinces of Pakistan, which has a population of about 20 million people and covers an area of 75,000 square kilometers. It borders Afghanistan to the west, Punjab and Baluchistan provinces of Pakistan to the south and Azad Kashmir to the east. It also encompasses Federally Administered Tribal Areas, FATA as an autonomous region within NWFP. The current war on terror waged by the coalition forces in the neighboring Afghanistan, usually spills into this province as well. At the time of writing of this blog, Pakistan armed forces were busy pursuing Talibans within the FATA and Swat district of NWFP in a heavy military campaign.

Table 1: Pakistan Health Indicators (Source United Nations)

Pakistan’s health infrastructure is also poor, especially in rural areas. Almost 30% of children under the age of five are malnourished. There are approximately 70 physicians for every 100,000 people in the country and a mere 1,000 government run hospitals to cater to the entire population. It is no wonder that 70% of the population of Pakistan (WHO statistic) never gets to see a doctor in their entire life. For a country of 160 Million people, that is a gigantic population (almost 110 million) without access to basic healthcare.

Table 2: Population Statistics of Pakistan & NWFP (Source Government of Pakistan)

The north of the Pakistan suffers from heavy unemployment as well. Major source of jobs in NWFP includes agriculture, mining of precious stones, granite/marble quarries, and government jobs. Other than these, there are hardly any sustainable job opportunities for the youth. The industrialization and economic uplift that we get to see in major metropolitan cities like Lahore, Karachi and Islamabad is totally non-existent here. In other words, the economic boom (that has griped the urban centers of the country) has had little impact on the rural communities.

Table 3: Education Statistics of Pakistan & NWFP population in percentage (Source: Govt of Pakistan)

The government school system in the rural areas has also not grown over the years. In fact, it is straining under the pressure of over population (the population has doubled since 1981 census from 80million to 160millon today). Almost 47% of the population of NWFP is under the age of 15 that is a staggering 8 million children (Source Govt of Pakistan). The private schools are too expensive and therefore the local communities can hardly afford to send their children to such institutions. With the result, an uneducated population grows up that has no real prospect of securing jobs even in the more competitive bigger cities. Those who still want to get an education then prefer to enroll in the local religious schools called, Madrassas, which offer free room and board as well as their brand of religious philosophy.

With no employment, no healthcare and no prospects of a better life, many of the talented, prefer to emigrate or work abroad especially in the Middle East. They spend years toiling in the heat of the desert without seeing their families for years while sending back precious dinars/dollars so that their kids could one day have a better life. But not all are lucky to find a job locally or go abroad. Those with no sustained income usually end up being pulled into the lucrative illegal drug trafficking between the Afghanistan and Pakistan border areas. Or as it is now commonly happening, become members of some radical religious organization, including Talibans.

These youths are victim of their environment and society. If we want them to succeed and give up drug trade and put down their AK-47s and suicide bombings then we need to give them what is their basic right as a human being. Namely, a chance for a better education, improved health care and ability to become entrepreneurs (or have secure jobs). No amount of carpet bombing or military actions can stop them from becoming radical. But a book, a job and better health can transform them and their families forever.

I only became aware of this appalling situation once we had started establishing a free hospital in NWFP province under UM Healthcare Trust in the outskirts of Mardan District (near the Swat Valley). As we meet and interact more with the local community, it becomes only clear that war is not the solution to all the problems. Edhi Foundation, Greg Mortenson's Central Asia Institute, The Citizen's Foundation and many other such non-profits believe that the world can be a better place if we just give youth a chance and give them an opportunity to make something of themselves. Sadly, this logic and insight is lost on the current leaders of the world who are bent upon changing the world with their might, bombs and cruise missiles. Their philosophy of “smoking” the enemy out has not been successful in making the world a better and safer place and is not likely to have any sustained impact either. Only education, health and entrepreneurship can make the difference.

Therefore, I request all to write to their Members of Parliament, Senators, Congressmen, your MNAs and MPAs and ask them that they have done enough to wage war on the world, now what are they doing to bring peace to the society.

Give youth a chance

The health statistics of the whole province (North West Frontier Province, NWFP) are nothing short of a health disaster. These numbers are further worsened by the influx of millions of Afghan refugees who have made the province their home for the past three decades or so. We, as part of UM Healthcare Trust, are involved in building a free hospital for the rural community of the Mardan District and also a site for our Tele-healthcare initiative.

Location	District Mardan, NWFP, Pakistan
Populationon	1.6 Million
District Hospitals	2
Basic Health Units	50
Infant Mortality Rate	76/1000 child births
Maternal Mortality	201/1000 live births

For a population of over 1.6 million in Mardan District, there are just 2 district hospitals with a less than hundred beds. The Basic Health Units (BHUs) are one room clinics and if operational (usually they are locked with no one on duty) sometimes manned by a doctor or a healthcare professional. The primary purpose of these units is to provide vaccinations (especially to children) and occasional trainings on preventive medicine (to the rural population). It is no wonder that 70% of the population of Pakistan (WHO statistic) never gets to see a doctor in their entire life. For a country of 160 Million people, that is a gigantic population (almost 110 million) without access to basic healthcare.

The north of the Pakistan suffers from heavy unemployment as well. Major source of jobs in NWFP includes agriculture, mining of precious stones, granite/marble quarries, and government jobs. Other than these, there are hardly any other job opportunities for the youth. The industrialization and economic uplift that we get to see in major metropolitan cities like Lahore, Karachi and Islamabad is totally non-existent here. In other words, the economic boom (that has griped the urban centers of the country) has had little impact on the rural communities.

The government school system in the rural areas has also not grown over the years. In fact, it is straining under the pressure of over population. The private schools are too expensive and therefore the local communities never send their children to study. With the result, an uneducated population grows up that has no real prospect of securing jobs even in the more competitive bigger cities. Those who still want to get an education then prefer to enroll in the local religious schools called, madarasas.

With no employment, no healthcare and no prospects of a better life, many of the talented, prefer to emigrate or work abroad especially in the Middle East. They spend years toiling in the heat of the desert without seeing their families for years while sending back precious dinars so that their kids could one day have a better life.

But not all are lucky to find a job locally or go abroad. Those with no sustained income usually end up being pulled into the lucrative drug trade between the Afghanistan and Pakistan border areas. Or as it is now commonly happening, become members of some radical religious organization.

These youths are victim of their environment and society. If we want them to succeed and give up drug trade and put down their AK-47s and suicide bombings then we need to give them what is their basic right as a human being. Namely, a chance for a better education, improved healthcare and ability to become entrepreneurs (or have secure jobs). No amount of carpet bombing or military actions can stop them from becoming radical. But a book, a job and better health can transform them and their families forever.

Edhi Foundation, Central Asia Institute, The Citizen's Foundation and many other such non-profits believe that the world can be a better place if we just give youth a chance. Sadly, this doctrine is lost on the current leaders of the world who are bent upon changing the world with their might, bombs and cruise missiles.

Penetration of ICT in Rural Communities

If we build cool and cheap devices would rural communities use them? Would US$100 laptop make a difference in their lives? Can we increase the usage of computers in rural societies from nearly zero to over 50% in the coming 10 years? These are some of the questions being pondered by the world leaders and technologists.

There have been many buzz words and slogans in the past. Including the other much hyped US$30 mobile phone. But little does anyone realize that such slogans and targets are nothing but marketing gimmicks. These are to attract large donors to fund schemes of no consequence. It is quite clear that the mobile phone revolution has swept the world without the need for US$30 hand-sets. Kenya, Pakistan, India and many other countries are seeing unbelieveable growth rates without the introduction of any cheap mobile phone sets.

Hailing from Pakistan, I have eye witnessed the revolution taking the country by storm. It is amazing to see that Pakistan is adding over 2 million new subscribers each month (source Pak Telecom Authority www.pta.gov.pk). The tele-density in Pakistan stood at 0.28% in 2000. In less than six years, it stands at over 17% with over 30 million mobile users (as of June 06). The number is likely to double by mid next year to over 50 million users in the country. That is a phenomenal growth rate i.e. almost 100% annually. And the most remarkable thing for Pakistan, the 6^th most populous country in the world, is that one in three in the country would carry a cell phone by June 2007. That is an extremely large number of users by any definition of mobile usage for any developing country. Yes, last year, Pakistan was the second fastest growing mobile market after China. This year, the trend is likely to hold again. This is similar in other developing economies as well.

All this revolution without the need for US$30 mobile set. How come? The answer is simple. Used and refurbished mobiles. They can be found on the streets for as little as US$5 to US$20. They work great and are from branded manufacturers. Therefore, the need to build cheap mobiles is moot. People tend to always go for used items. They still buy branded sets like Nokia and others at a fraction of the cost of the brand new model. And even if we make the new sets cheaper, they would only go and buy the used versions at even cheaper prices for their personal use.

Therefore, the idea and concept of US$100 laptops, US$30 mobile phones and connecting half the world to the Internet within a decade are nothing but academic and are detached from reality.

Earthquakes and Aftershocks

I landed safely in Pakistan after a 36-hour journey from San Francisco to Islamabad, Pakistan on March 19. This is my first visit to my home country after the devastating earthquake in October 2005. Just a few hours after my arrival, the northern Pakistan, including, Islamabad was shaken with yet another moderate earthquake of 5.0 magnitude. Even though there were no deaths or destructions reported this time, but it is a reminder that I have arrived in the earthquake active zone. Already, there have been over 1780 aftershocks that have been felt through the region since the devastating earthquake in October 2005. Last week, an earthquake of 5.2, had caused the death of at least one individual and injury to 16 people in Pakistan’s Kashmir region.

Devastation in Pakistan

Earthquake has shaken the country to its core. More than 20,000 are feared dead and the toll is rising. This is by far the severest quake in the history of Pakistan registering 7.6 on the rector scale. The Northern Pakistan including the capital, Islamabad are devastated. Many small towns and villages have been flattened to the ground. And landslides as a result of series of earthquakes have washed away roads thus making it inaccessible for rescuers to get anywhere in time. Pakistan is going through one of its worst disasters ever.

Fazal Elahi, an elderly man in town of Mansehra (North of Pakistan) had to travel 46km to reach a hospital to get treatment for himself and his injured family. He had to traverse through roads washed out by land slides and pass through flattened villages and cities. When he did reach the hospital, he found 8 doctors administering over 800 patients who were streaming from all over to get some help. His daughter could not make it through and died before they reached the hospital.

The story is repeated again and again and the devastation just continues. More closer to my home, in Islamabad, an apartment complex collapsed into a rubble trapping many inside. The complex was less than a mile from my home and cause of great concern for me. In fact, I have friends living there and am deeply worried for their welfare. I did get a chance to talk to Khadijja, my ex-colleague from United Nations. She mentioned that her family is safe but the apartment and everything inside is gone. Her brother, Shahnawaz, who was in the apartment at the time, (on 10^th floor) ran out as soon as the tremors began. He saw the whole structure collapse with his own eyes.

I think it is high time we put technology to work. With no doctors and health facilities how can we expect the poor to get any help. With roads being washed out by landslides, how can the rescuers get to the needy in time. Technology, is one solution that can get them healthcare when it is needed. It may not be a solution to all the problems, but it is a start. A promising start, that may one day make disaster relief quicker and more effective. Be it New Orleans, or Islamabad. Be it Baghdad or London, we need technology to assist us in helping the victims of natural disasters.