This is part of a limited series, “14 Days, 14 Stories”, about ordinary Pakistanis who are doing extraordinary things in order to give back to Pakistan.
There are numerous patriots who dream and strive to work for Pakistan, but few of them have a deep understanding of how the issues plaguing our country are actually quite deep-rooted. They require one going back to the basics.
Zar Aslam is one such patriot who left behind her life in San Francisco to focus on issues plaguing her homeland, thinking outside the box.
She is the President and CEO of The Environment Protection Fund (TEPF). With a long history of volunteer work alongside a corporate career, Zar Aslam has previously worked with Habitat for Humanity on various community projects in California and Bangladesh. Talking exclusively with MangoBaaz, Zar Aslam shared her aspirations, challenges, work and plans replenishing a sense of hope and empowerment.
It all began with Zar Aslam’s visit back home to Lahore, Pakistan in 2010.
Ms. Aslam had then begun traveling across the globe and eventually reached Pakistan where the physical environment caught her eye and she ended up prolonging her stay. She started teaching young children at school and exploring Northern Pakistan which allowed her to discover how much she loved the outdoors and working with children; so much so that she returned shortly afterwards to start a non-profit organization called The Environment Protection Fund (TEPF).
TEPF found its roots in the aim of creating ‘healthier, happier and a peaceful environment’. Interestingly enough, Ms. Aslam dug deeper than just the context of a physical environment towards an understanding of cultural, psychological and emotional aspects that make up Pakistan’s social environment. Realizing that the issues to be addressed in Pakistan are much deep-rooted, TEPF inculcates social responsibility by addressing issues of religious and cultural intolerance, extremism, discriminating propaganda, and stereotypes. The foundation essentially engages the youth of diverse faiths/backgrounds, bringing them together through various workshops, seminars and community service activities whether separating garbage, planting trees or having cookouts and eating together, in order to understand and accept their differences.
Zar Aslam believes school-going children are the foundation of Pakistan’s future which is why she fervently emphasizes teaching them about social responsibility, environment protection, tolerance, population explosion and green technology. Further elaborating, she said, “We have worked with these kids and kept them engaged with highly structured projects and the change it has brought about is nothing short of amazing. Their energy, positive vibes and love is unparalleled. It’s consuming, but there is always a sense of empowerment and achievement. Seeing the impact you are making on them, the things they are learning and how far they have come, it is like magic!”
Her latest foray, The Pink Rickshaw, explores women empowerment and aims for a safer, convenient and an economically feasible environment for women.
Noticing how unfortunate the transportation system was for her female team members, Zar Aslam thought there would be no better way than to create a means of public transportation that is driven by women for women. Furthermore, she stated that when talking about women empowerment, one has to begin with the basics such as transportation because it is owing to such insecurities that women hesitate working.
Ms. Aslam piloted The Pink Rickshaw earlier this year and it garnered tremendous positive responses especially from the women who can’t stop calling the TEPF offices to apply for a rickshaw. It’s not just the women but men too who expressed enthusiasm for the project. She particularly mentioned one man, a rickshaw driver, who was so excited that he had already started giving his wife driving lessons. Ms. Aslam believed this one example was an achievement in itself where the whole stigma associated to female public drivers vanished and shattered the gender/ cultural barriers. “All of a sudden it’s acceptable; people have started talking about it,” she said. “The mental/gender barrier is no more – it’s acceptable.”
The process of women applying for a rickshaw is equally impressive and well thought out.
After an introductory seminar explaining details of the project, women are selected based on their background information, family setups and work history. Their families are brought into the discussions as well. Training itself encompasses driving lessons, registration of rickshaws, selection of routes and paperwork down to minute details such as mechanical and safety courses. After a two-year association/training, the women will own the rickshaws. “I am looking for women who are determined, have a desire and urge to move forward and are committed”, stated Zar Aslam
When talking about challenges, Zar Aslam named bureaucracy the “worst enemy” of Pakistan and how it is a constant institution that has remained unfazed through time.
She further explained how TEPF is still a young initiative and in order for any such project to thrive in Pakistan, an adequate infrastructure has to be in place. She believes that the infrastructure doesn’t help the common masses as their daily survival is so great an issue that it does not allow them to think about any greater entity but to just build their walls higher and isolating themselves. The focus needs to shift towards a ‘greater good’.
When it comes to funding, unfortunately, the response from main donors and personalities hasn’t been too encouraging. However, that has not stopped the women from all over the world to open-heartedly contribute to the cause who have actually formed the majority of the donors.
Zar Aslam herself had to face broken commitments and lack of understanding of the concept of community awareness as a hurdle in her progress, but she has not lost her optimism. “The positives outnumber the negatives at any given day and that is what keeps me going”, she stated confidently. Ms. Zar strongly believes that Pakistan is a country where there is tremendous potential and if anybody takes on a new initiative, she will help them in any capacity she can because she believes unconditional support can often be the hardest thing to find for a good cause. “I am here to stay and I will make this successful – about this I have no doubt in my mind”, stated Zar Aslam with confidence and with hope.
For more stories from our series about extraordinary Pakistanis check out ‘14 Days, 14 Stories‘.
Cover Image via: Dawn.com
