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About the foundationDate Founded - 2003
Founder - Mahvash and Jahangir Siddiqui and their family Form - Grant-making and operating foundation Issues Addressed - Health, education, social enterprise, disaster relief Geographic Focus - Pakistan Resources Given by Family/Firm - Financial, human, logistical capacity Sources of Financing - Family and firm (both of initial endowment and ongoing gifts); aid agencies (both NGOs and governments) provide goods and services in disaster relief; occasionally wealthy individuals and business partners of the family Ongoing Family Involvement - Six family members on the board; Ali Siddiqui is additionally the CEO. Professional Staff - 15 |
conclusion
The family, according to Ali, brings a demanding as much as a compassionate take on the world and this critical spirit has led the Foundation to change direction over time. In the case of education, for example, they are moving away from funding for higher education to funding for primary education, on the grounds that those who reach higher education are often already privileged. In the case of social enterprise, they were initially enthusiastic about micro finance, but deterred by the still high lending rates, switched to a model where farmers are given interest-free loans, but the loan is written off if the principal is not returned and aggressive collection practices are not employed. More generally, the Foundation aims to go the distance with NGOs, funding them for the long-term if the project proves trustworthy and effective.
Despite Ali’s other commitments, he has contributed significant time to the Foundation’s activities. In the wake of the 2010 floods, he supervised a team of 200 drawn from the Foundation and investee businesses, himself living in the disaster area for four months. Their experiences in 2005, and the protocols they had developed, meant that they were a major responder to the disaster.
Since that time, Ali has stepped back from a hands-on role in the disaster relief efforts to allow others to take hold of the reins, with the objective of building organizational capacity. Amongst the foundation’s staff of 15, there are two who have a highly specialist training in disaster relief, one of whom spent, after the 2010 floods, 2 years working at UNOCHA. Now they coordinate volunteers from the businesses to receive official UN training in disaster relief.
The response protocols the foundation has drawn up are comprehensive. Different branches of the businesses are assigned different roles and responsibilities, according to their geography and skills set. The objective is to marshal the resources provided by aid agencies and to put them to the service of the homeless and destitute in a camp in the wake of a disaster. These resources include water treatment facilities, tents, healthcare products, education for displaced schoolchildren and security services. Thus the Foundation and the Siddiqui family investees are in a constant state of readiness– the reality, Ali Siddiqui says, that it sadly is a question of when, not if, another disaster will strike.
Despite Ali’s other commitments, he has contributed significant time to the Foundation’s activities. In the wake of the 2010 floods, he supervised a team of 200 drawn from the Foundation and investee businesses, himself living in the disaster area for four months. Their experiences in 2005, and the protocols they had developed, meant that they were a major responder to the disaster.
Since that time, Ali has stepped back from a hands-on role in the disaster relief efforts to allow others to take hold of the reins, with the objective of building organizational capacity. Amongst the foundation’s staff of 15, there are two who have a highly specialist training in disaster relief, one of whom spent, after the 2010 floods, 2 years working at UNOCHA. Now they coordinate volunteers from the businesses to receive official UN training in disaster relief.
The response protocols the foundation has drawn up are comprehensive. Different branches of the businesses are assigned different roles and responsibilities, according to their geography and skills set. The objective is to marshal the resources provided by aid agencies and to put them to the service of the homeless and destitute in a camp in the wake of a disaster. These resources include water treatment facilities, tents, healthcare products, education for displaced schoolchildren and security services. Thus the Foundation and the Siddiqui family investees are in a constant state of readiness– the reality, Ali Siddiqui says, that it sadly is a question of when, not if, another disaster will strike.