Ray of Hope: Striving for a Better Future

Dianova’s new associate member, Ray of Hope, is a Pakistani charity organization dedicated to promoting sustainable solutions to substance abuse

Drug awareness activity by organization Ray of Hope

The Dianova network having incorporated three new associate members recently, we will be publishing a series of articles to present these organizations whose operations are located in Pakistan, India and Kenya.

Pakistan is the sixth-most populous country in the world, with a population of approximately 190 million people. Economically speaking, the country has a high potential to become one of the world’s largest economies in the 21st century.

Despite such potential, Pakistan still ranks 147 out of 188 countries in the 2015 Human Development Index with most indicators lower than most countries in South Asia. Access to education remains low and completion rate for primary education is among the lowest in the world. Unfortunately, so is  public spending on health. Malnutrition is a major problem: 16% of Pakistani children under 5 suffer from acute malnutrition.[1] In addition the country suffers from a widespread drug addiction problem due to its 2,400km-long, porous border with Afghanistan, the world’s largest producer of illicit opium. Being along trafficking routes exacerbates drug use: heroin users in Pakistan are estimated to consume 20 tons of pure heroin annually.

Food distribution in Pakistan

Ray of Hope is a registered social welfare organization which operates for a healthier and prosperous Pakistan. The organization’s core mission is to promote sustainable solutions to drug abuse as most of the social problems are related to it. And it does so by fostering healthier and higher standards of living, based on the ideals of sustainable development, while targeting poverty and health considerations to provide a sound socio-economic basis for meaningful change.

Working areas

  • Substance abuse treatment and prevention: school prevention workshops, (the organization provides treatment and rehabilitation solutions in 1 facility)
  • Education and training: fight against illiteracy, education of drug addicts, etc.
  • Humanitarian aid: assistance in natural disasters, distribution of food, and promotion of sustainable development practices (plantation, drinking water disinfection, etc.)

Ray of Hope was established in 2007 in the North-Eastern region of Rawalpindi. With its 6 employees and more than 30 volunteers, the organisation could serve more than 500 people in 2015. Ray of Hope has been granted ECOSOC special consultative status by the United Nations in 2014.

Dianova warmly welcomes Ray of Hope as an associate member of the Dianova network and hopes that this collaboration will contribute to achieve our common goals: help the people that are in dire need of support and make their voices heard at the international level.

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[1] Data from the World Bank – Pakistan country profile