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A Volunteer – FURTHER

Scholarship & Relief 2022-23

This year, like the last, we have 3 scholarships available. The value of each award will be determined according to need. The financial crisis in Pakistan and the scourge of inflation worldwide has placed many in a dire situation. Hence, venturing for the first time outside education, we have managed to establish a poverty relief subsidy for two families and intend to do more.

Several new situations have emerged in the world since 2019. The repercussions from these events are likely to last many years. The economic circumstances – resulting from the pandemic, the war in Ukraine and the runaway inflation – have made most people feel like they are poorer today than they were a few years ago. Irrespective of our political views, we need to find a way to deal with this triple-crisis and, if possible, to help each other along the way.

The man who inspired the modest effort this website represents, Mian Fazle Raheem, may have some clues for us in the way he lived his life. One of the principles that allowed him to help others was the ability to get by with very little for himself. This is in sharp contrast to how governments and individuals around the world have dealt with the triple-crisis. It seems we have all thrown money at the situation as if it were the panacea. This over-spending by borrowing, along with the supply chains disrupted by the pandemic as well as the food and energy shortages sparked by the war, has led to inflation. We have deeply indebted the future generations to provide temporary relief for ourselves today. A most temporary relief indeed because the more money we throw at it the more the prices keep rising and the less we feel we can buy. Austerity and belt-tightening are terms our governments fear and we loathe. We’re encouraged to want and spend more so that the holy spirit of growth may find solace and we can feel richer and vote for the incumbents. No modern government expects to be re-elected if it speaks of fiscal responsibility.

And yet that is exactly how Mian Sahib dealt with the many crises he and his loved ones faced: Streamline expenses, meet needs not wants. The desire to increase one’s income is natural but it makes us walk a tight-rope across the raging river of greed. The desire for more is complicating our survival on this planet in more ways than just pandemics and wars. First we dug up the earth to get oil and gas, now we’re digging it up to make batteries. In the process, we’re getting fatter and our eco-system is running thin. Most of us are healthy and can easily meet most of our daily transportation needs on a bicycle, but that’s no good for the growth economy. A bicycle doesn’t use gasoline or electricity or a billion parts imported on a thousand ships. Yet, it does keep us fit and eliminates all those emissions. These are some of the thoughts that derive from contemplating a life as simple and robust as Mian Sahib’s. Not that he was a cyclist, but that he got by on little, simple things when he could afford a lot more.

Scholarship Awards 2021-22

This year we are aiming to help a total of 3 students achieve their academic goals. We have renewed one scholarship from last year and therefore have two new scholarships available. The value of each scholarship is Rs. 10,000 per month or Rs. 120,000 per year.

COVID-19 has placed all of us in a difficult new situation and it is an adjustment for everyone. However, it has also given us an opportunity to dig deep into our reserves of resilience and intelligence to do our best as human beings – not only for ourselves and our families but for everyone we know. This is not the time to bundle up and wallow in self-pity or to focus too intently on ourselves. It’s time to look out for all and sundry. If you know anyone who needs help in pursuing their education, please ask them to contact us through this website.



Important Message for FURTHER Scholars

On the 10th anniversary of the commencement of our scholarship programme, we continue to face one disappointing statistic. We have so far helped 43 students graduate as doctors, engineers, computer scientists, and more. Many of you have gone on to get great jobs and are helping your families and communities. Some of you have found careers overseas and are making a contribution to the global economy. These are all matters of great satisfaction for us.

But there is another statistic that does not reflect well on you or us. Once you graduate, you do not contact us again. Not a single person out of the 43 has bothered to keep us updated on their progress. This is equally as true of those who graduated in 2012 as of those who graduated in 2020. We do not expect you to contribute financially to FURTHER if you don’t wish to. But there are other ways in which you can contribute to our effort and make life easier for others like yourselves. You could always put in a good word-of-mouth for us at your work places and in your professional community. Your word might inspire others in your circle to contribute to FURTHER or help us achieve our goals in other ways. You could also mention us in your CV or on your website – as a matter of pride, that you received a scholarship from FURTHER.

Instead, we find that we are conspicuously absent from your CVs and your websites. Almost as if, far from being proud of your past and the hard work that made you turn your life around, you are ashamed that you once turned to FURTHER for financial help. This is not a good state of mind for you. We are proud of what you have accomplished. You should be too. Please show us that by giving us some space on your CVs and web pages. Others like you who still have ways to go to get where you are, deserve this from you. They are still counting on us to help them, as you did once. By giving us due recognition, for coming to your aid when you needed it most, you will be aiding those who need it most now. All FURTHER Scholars, please think about that. Carefully. Know yourselves, know who you are and where you’ve come from, acknowledge it, and be proud of it. It will help you and help those who now need assistance as you once did.

Scholarship Awards 2020-21

This year we aimed to help 3 students achieve their academic goals, but have found only one eligible applicant. We therefore still have funding for two more scholars. The student we are supporting is being funded for Rs. 96,000 with scholarship grants for the next one year and an additional Rs. 102,000 in loans.

COVID-19 has placed all of us in a difficult new situation and it is an adjustment for everyone. However, it has also given us an opportunity to dig deep into our reserves of resilience and intelligence to do our best as human beings – not only for ourselves and our families but for everyone we know. This is not the time to bundle up and wallow in self-pity or to focus too intently on ourselves. It’s time to look out for all and sundry. If you know anyone who needs help in pursuing their education, please ask them to contact us through this website.

A request to FURTHER Scholars regarding COVID-19

As educated people, anywhere in the world but particularly in the context of Pakistan, you are responsible for everyone’s safety around you. Please use your best judgment – acquired through your education in science and your difficult experiences in life – to make good decisions for yourselves and for those who rely on you.

COVID-19 is probably here to stay for longer than most of us expect. Waiting for a vaccine may not be the best strategy. So far, the science isn’t even certain that immunity to this virus is permanent. Evidence suggests that it only lasts 3 months or so. This means that even after a vaccine is developed, we may have to administer it globally every few months. That sounds impractical both physically and financially. Hence COVID-19 might just become endemic to the human population like influenza. However, it is far deadlier than the flu virus. Perhaps two or three orders of magnitude deadlier. If so, we can’t just act as if it’s not a big deal to get it, carry it, or give it to someone. As soon as we give it to someone who is not in perfect health or older, we could kill them. This is a fact of science, a statistical probability derived from millions of bits of evidence.

For the foreseeable future, therefore, you can protect yourself and your loved ones only through vigilence. Please do 5 simple things to do your duty to humanity:

  • Wash or sanitise hands frequently
  • Disinfect all surfaces before and after each use
  • Keep a distance of 2 meteres from ALL those who don’t live with you
  • Wear a mask in public
  • Do not travel or stay overnight away from home unnecessarily

Please also understand that essential is only that which is required to sustain life in a household. It includes only three purposes: work, healthcare, groceries. Do not fool yourself that you can go about unnecessarily among crowds of people and take care of yourself. If you’re healthy and acquire the virus, you may not even know it. But you could pass it on to someone you love – an elderly parent or grandparent may not survive it. Think about that.