Trust vs. Home

It was winter break here last week, so thankfully when I went to the Home, the girls were there. I got to sit in on their Islamic Studies class where they were learning Dua-e-Qunoot, which is a verse from the Quran recited during one of our prayers. After that they learnt the equivalent of our biblical stories about Prophet Ibrahim. They were absolutely adorable, and since I was new they kept turning around to look at me curiously. And they smiled and laughed as though they were the happiest girls alive, all bundled up in their jackets and gloves. Gas isn't really available out in Pindi, especially nowadays with the load shedding. So there isn't really heating out there and its pretty darn cold =( Load shedding of both gas and electricity is a pretty big problem here right now, so cold showers and no heating has been sort of a norm lately.

So I got a chance to see the home, and the office for Saba Trust and get a much better understanding of how the organization works. Basically, Saba Trust is the umbrella organization with different projects, including their flood relief efforts, the Saba Homes orphanage for the girls, medicial clinics, bringing water supplies to villages, along with other relief efforts for those in poverty here. The organization is in the process of organizing a formal board, which I am helping with, especially with my training and experience with that in the Peace Corps. I am also working on grant research right now and will be working on applications once I find the places we want to apply to and gather all the information. I'll write about that in more detail at a later point. The trust has offices in Pindi, Karachi, Kuwait, California and now is trying to set something up in London too. I'm organizing an awareness dinner in Kuwait tentatively scheduled for April as well. So a lot of the work I'm doing is remote and from home actually.