BEIJING, Nov. 20 (INP): “Pakistan is strengthening its cooperation with China in the field of public welfare, aiming to learn from Chinese wisdom to uplift its own society, thereby promoting the well-being of the people and the earth."  This was stated by Waseem Bari, founder of Growth Plus Welfare Organization (GPWO) in Dadu during a session at the first Asia Philanthropy Forum inaugurated in Hainan on 16 November, Gwadar Pro reported on Monday. About 400 guest official representatives and observers from social organizations in 16 Asian countries and regions and 15 international organizations attended the forum.  As the representative from Pakistan, Waseem Bari was amazed by the speed of development in China.

“The forum is a testament to the global recognition of China's remarkable achievements in social welfare, poverty alleviation and healthcare”, he said. Participants discussed and exchanged views on building a more open, growing and influential charity ecology, expanding cooperation space with a focus on global issues such as “community of human destiny”, climate change, poverty reduction, education, health, culture, sports and social services, and Asia’s development needs, and promoting the development of charity in various countries with an international perspective and local experience. This enabled Waseem to understand more ideas and examples that can be positively applied to philanthropy in Pakistan.

“Inspired by China’s success, Pakistan has been actively seeking to learn from and implement Chinese strategies in its own context”, Waseem Bari noted that recognizing the value of this exchange, GPWO has partnered with the Beijing One Heart Sphere Charity Foundation and the China-Pakistan Youth Exchange Community, which has been working for years to help needy students, disabled, families and other groups in Pakistan. In 2022 when Sindh province was hit hard by floods, especially in Dadu district far from the main roads of major cities, Waseem Bari was appointed as head of China-Pakistan Youth Exchange Community in Dadu district. 

He organized teams to help the displaced flood victims by providing them with safe accommodation and meal arrangements. Even after the flood victims returned to their places 3-4 months later, the food bag distribution program continued. Considering that the floods have dealt a complete blow to the drinking water system in Dadu district, the organization has so far installed 3 water plants and more than 12,000 people have directly benefited from clean water facilities.

Waseem's next steps after his return to Dadu will be to continue working with the Chinese volunteer teams to install more water plants and build schools, clinics and women training centers.  “During the conference, I was very impressed by China's rural development, and by making contacts with relevant focal persons, we will further discuss providing Chinese hybrid seeds and fertilizer distribution, and introduce modern agricultural methods and tools in Pakistan,” he added.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan (INP) — Pak-China