Grace Association Pakistan Team

Aisha Mian, Jennifer Wells, Kalloimora Bzepam, Katie Simons, Laura Gamboa-Cavazos, Laura Riveni, Loai Farajallah, Paula Ellinger da Fonseca, Sehrish Rashid, Yvonne Nelson
 

Ten online volunteers are engaged in the work of Grace Association, Pakistan, contributing in different ways to strengthening the NGO’s capacities to improve the quality of life of marginalized and vulnerable communities in less developed parts of Northern Pakistan.

Online volunteers have been instrumental in enhancing the NGO’s programmes for early childhood development and the rehabilitation and inclusion of people with disabilities. They have helped Grace Association to develop projects, write funding proposals, access Internet-based resources and link with international organizations and networks. “The educational resources to which our staff got access through the registration with the National Association for Education of Young Children in the USA enabled us to start an early learning class at the Grace public school, and with the money raised through globalgiving.org we were able to purchase wheelchairs.” says Khadim Hussain, the organization’s founder and volunteer manager.

Moreover, online volunteers have designed the website and numerous publications, building a consistent visual branding for the organization. The professional bi-annual newsletter, designed and written by online volunteers, facilitated the NGO’s membership in the global network of organizations working for people with disabilities.

Jennifer Wells, U.S.A.: "I am a rehabilitation counselor and I chose Grace Association Pakistan to volunteer with because it was clear to see that they were a grassroots organization, highly organized, run by people with disabilities who are very committed to the work they are doing. Online volunteering has allowed me to give a bit of my knowledge to people who benefit from what I know and work together with them to make great things happen.”

Kate Anderson Simons, U.S.A.: “I applied, hoping to use my knowledge of child development and learn from Grace Association about how this knowledge could be applied to children in Pakistan.”

Sehrish Rashid, native of Pakistan / living in U.S.A.: “After coming to a completely different place from my home country, I badly wanted to stay connected to Pakistan. GRACE is a Skardu-based organization, which is one of the most remote and currently unsafe regions of Pakistan. I got to know more about the region, its people and problems with the help of this project, as I never visited Skardu even when I was in Pakistan. Working in a team of different people has made me comfortable, more eager to learn and above all, enriched the passion of being united.”

Paula Ellinger, native of Brazil / living in U.K.: “It was a unique opportunity to learn and reflect on the challenges faced by grassroots organizations. As a ‘development worker’, I feel that there is a distance between the professional work of international NGOs and the reality and needs of grassroots organizations. Through online volunteering with Grace I felt that I was contributing to somehow shorten this gap.”