HOPE Community Development (HCD) history
HOPE Community Development (HCD)registration as a Pakistan Charitable Trust is in process 2022 but the story starts much earlier in the 2003 when Mr. Shafiq Rehmatresigned and started work for the community development in Pakistan, building relationships and becoming familiar with the needs and the educational problems especially of its minority Christian people.
That time it was working on only Education at different levels by providing free education, books to the deserving and also supported teaching staff to improve their educational level. We provided facility for the jobians, which was a unique facility and many people got benefit from this facility. We started late classes (after their job hours) matriculations, intermediates and graduates became masters they completed their MA through our only project on education, which is known as ‘National Institute of Education’. We done this all only with the local sources.
Over the years, in 2010, Pakistan faced the worst (of that time) floodof 2010 and 2011 affected 20 million people, and killed 2,000. Tens of thousands of homes were damaged or demolished and 1.59 million acres of crops were destroyed. It took many years to rebuild and recover.
The floods in Pakistan began in late July 2010, resulting from heavy monsoon rains in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Sindh, Punjab and, Baluchistan regions of Pakistan. We reached there with the love of God and token of love in shape of needed things (cooked food, then package of food, blankets and etc.).
After that the strongest earthquake in Pakistan happened on September 24, 2013 in the region Awaran, Kech with a magnitude of 7.7 on the Richter scale. The shifting of tectonic plates in a depth of 37 km resulted in 825 deaths. The earthquake also triggered a tsunami with further victims and destructions.
We were approached by different pastors and friends for the help of people effected by Earthquake. We contributed our best part and stand there with our brothers and sisters.
By seeing the impact from natural disasters such as the floods in previous years as well as the ugly face of poverty derived from a multitude of factors such as inequality, lack of education, marginalization and sometimes persecution of hundreds of poor minority communities in Pakistan. We took step to develop our community which is facing the different type of challenges, and after Lord their only hope is NGOs which is already working in Pakistan on different projects.
Now we submitted the documents for the registration of Hope Community Development (HCD) which is about in last phases. We believe with the guidance of Lord and with the help of friends like you we will be able to sooth the pains of the poor community.
Why the name HOPE Community Development (HCD)?
Most of time when people approach to us, they say we came to you with a great hope, after God you people are our only hope, we hope that you can secure the future of our children these type of wording we used to listen from people. That is why our team think that God connected us (team) so that we can develop a hope of surviving among people so that they can become sustainable, that is why team decided HOPE Community Development (HCD) with the moto of offering hope, building lives.
HCD Philosophy is so simple – We know we can’t help everyone, but we surely must help some! Together we can make a great difference to many.
Our team
Shafiq Rehmat– Founders
Mrs. Sana Shafiq – Chief Executive Officer
Pastor Arshad Yousaf – Executive Member
HOPE Community Development (HCD)Trustees
Currently Hope Community Development (HCD) is working only in Pakistan, but we are looking for volunteers from all over the world to work with us in Pakistan and in their own countries. We get very much encouragement from 1-Peter 4:10“Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms”.
“The Pakistani people are facing a monsoon on steroids – the relentless impact of epochal levels of rain and flooding.”
António Guterres
UN Secretary-General
So far the flooded areas are mainly in the south and north of the country. Punjab Province, instead of remote areas, has not been so badly affected. We have received requests to provide help from several of families (belongs to church) and other friends who know HCD.
One of pastor of church in Sindh wrote me a request that Many Christian families need tents, food packages, medicines etc. If there is any possibility of flood relief funds from HCD, he is available with his church youth to serve mighty God in this flood relief work.”
One more friend from Quetta wrote: “Almost all the Christian community is affected by this disaster. People don’t have food, shelter and medicines.”