OneUmmah Foundation is working in countries, where the large majority of people are making less then one dollar a day or two dollars a day.We cover countries like Bangladesh, Cameron, Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Myanmar, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. The combined population of these countries represent close to 33% of the global population.Our main focus is children education, nutrition, decent housing and other basis necessities.

In the last ten years what has enabled us to make a difference is our creative partnerships with partners in all the countries and communities. We do not try to reinvent the wheel or impose our values on local people. We work with local partners who put their own funds, resources and money on the line to do projects.We come in to complement their efforts on the ground. OneUmmah is 100% volunteer base,so is our partners.

We don,t believe we need the full time staffing regime and committees to be effective.We stay nimble so that we can turn a request around in least possible time.A small 50 dollar request may take us 5 minutes to get approved.Small amount for us but a month worth of ration for a destitute family in SriLanka. Sometime it is about helping a needy family get a tin roof over their heads and we are asked to come up with couple of hundred dollars.

In Cambodia we build schools with a partnership with Asian development Bank or other large organisations.Our board of director is spread all over the World. Mostly USA and then Hong Kong,Japan and Singapore.

If someone is able to donate 1, 5, 10, 25, 50 or any other amount of dollars we will assure you that your funds will make a big difference in the lives of people.
I am attaching the latest article about our Foundation that was written few month ago in Deal Maker Middle East by John Foster.

Why don’t you be the agent of change and go to www.oneummah.com and donate online today.

With very warm regards,

Mohammad and Tasneem Saeed Rahman

Founders
OneUmmah Foundation

First, a quick introduction. My name is Peter Braun, I graduated from the University of Puget Sound in 2008 with a degree in history. Since then it has been my privilege to act in the capacity of Executive Director of the One Ummah Foundation.

Right now I am working on trying to get funding for the construction of a 60 bed hospital in Jhelum Pakistan, this project has been underway since 2003. This is an expansion of an older 13 bed emergency clinic, started in 1998. The goals of the hospital and clinic are the same; to offer comprehensive health care in the areas of infectious disease and maternal and early child health care to the impoverished.

My hope is that we can secure a grant to aid in the construction of this hospital. The costs of construction are high, however as demonstrated by the existing clinic, these operations have a low operating cost. This is because they structure payment, based on the ability of the patient to pay. This makes the project an ideal candidate for grant funding as it is a case of currently insurmountable start up costs, followed by smaller operating costs that can be funded by donations.

For more details on the hospital project please check out their website: http://muazzamalihospital.org/

      The Little Scholar program currently operates two schools in the Sukkur area of the Sindh province in Pakistan. These schools offer a basic education to elementary aged students in math, English, science, computer literacy, Urdu, and basic studies of the Qur’an. These schools deliver a balanced education, which is both liberal and sanctified by religious authorities. The existence of these schools prevents many children from being sent to work. Studies conducted by the Pakistani Federal Bureau of statistics have indicated that a major cause of child labor is that available schools are not a viable option for families. One Ummah believes that the Little Scholar program as being a critical element of development in rural Pakistan.   

Founded by Zamir Memon in 2006, the Little Scholar program has already educated several hundred children. Zamir was inspired to start the program while studying in the United States. His experiences in the U.S. collegiate system demonstrated to him the effects and potential benefits of high quality education. Impressed by not only the accessibility, but also the participatory nature of American schools, he became determined to bring these methods home to Pakistan.

The Little Scholar school program was designed to produce a level of education on par with high caliber private academies while simultaneously keeping costs to an absolute minimum. The cornerstone of this model is to give access across economic, cultural and gender lines. This is accomplished through keeping tuition costs low, providing a culturally acceptable environment and through actively advertising the program to women.

The Little Scholar Program focuses on a participatory classroom setting, in which students are allowed to do more than sit quietly in their seats and absorb information. The curriculum is modern and diverse, with classes in English, Math, Urdu Computer Science, History and Religion. This broad spectrum education prepares students, from a young age, to participate in the information age. Furthermore, it does not lock students into one path; rather it provides children with numerous options and potential for many careers and lifestyles. While the Little Scholar program is second to none in its focus on a modern education it also has a critical cultural component. The program includes classes on Islam and Pakistani culture. These classes provide a culturally safe environment, for children and their parents, as well as teaching a tolerant and enlightened form of religious ethics and morals. 

 Part of the school’s cultural program is a focus on equal opportunity for boys and girls. The school attempts to maintain an even split between men and women in the classroom. Young women are at a crucial disadvantage when it comes to education. Not only are their cultural prejudices against women receiving education or being employed as professionals, but young women are more likely than male children to be kept at home to help out in running the household. Therefore it is even more critical that women be sent to school as early as possible to establish a pattern of education and provide opportunities for independence later in life.

So far the Little Scholar School has operated beyond initial expectations. The first year presented a number of unforeseen difficulties including frequent losses of electrical power and a difficulty in reaching full enrollment. These problems are endemic in the region surrounding Sukkur Pakistan. Often during the warm season public power is unavailable 8 hours a day, and infrastructure is either crumbling or non existent. This is especially difficult for anyone trying to establish a school or business. Generators must be purchased, water filtration arranged, and some method of trash disposal must be found. The initial capital costs are so large that they cannot be covered through tuition or other operating funds. Further a rapport must be established with the community before families are willing to send their children. For this reason most programs encounter their biggest problems in the first year. 

After word of the schools success had spread enrollment reached its maximum around 150. Further, with the financial assistance of the One Ummah Foundation, the Little Scholar program was able to acquire many of the systems and pieces of equipment it needed. The school is currently able to operate at only a minor deficit, the remaining funds being covered by charitable donations through One Ummah. The problem is that the school cannot provide services to all of the families and children who need them. Given the cost of expansion the school must, for the time being, turn away children who could otherwise be enrolled in classes.

The difficulty in this situation arises precisely because the of the high capital starting costs. The Little Scholar program has demonstrated the viability of a low to no tuition model that is capable of operating with only a minor influx of cash, but the initial costs of renting space, purchasing computers, generators and other equipment are so large that it makes it almost impossible to raise that capital without a major outside contribution. This being said, while the costs are insurmountable locally, they only add up to around $7,500 dollars to construct a school that can house 150 students. This cost differential between the third and first world strikes at the heart of One Ummah’s philosophy. Namely that assistance provided from the west is highly leveraged. An apparently small, quantitative, effort from the United States can make huge strides in the third world.

The model has already proved its feasibility, even in the unforgiving circumstances of operating in a developing area with little infrastructure and no cultural tradition of education for the poor. The demand is there, with numerous children in the area still lacking even the most basic opportunities. What is needed is an initial investment. This investment can easily pay for a new school for up to 150 students. This school once established will be more or less self sustaining, with shortfalls being made up by One Ummah’s regular and substantial charitable base. Both One Ummah and the Little Scholar program use less than 2% of their funds’ for administrative costs. Furthermore Little Scholar is run with an eye to frugality, sacrificing in areas of luxury to provide essentials and guarantee access to the impoverished. Mr. Memon and his wife receive no salary from the program, and the facilities while clean and safe offer little in the way of perks to the teachers.

Pakistan has one of the lowest literacy rates in Asia. Just under fewer than 60% of adults are able to read and write with any degree of proficiency. Illiteracy is one of the key indicators of poverty and ineffective governance, both of which are rampant in Pakistan. The government has so far failed in its obligation to provide universal education. Government schools, when built, often stand empty for a lack of teachers and equipment. This is especially true in far flung regions of the country where government control is tenuous. Even in areas that are lucky enough to have a functioning government school, conditions are less than ideal. Many schools suffer from severe overcrowding and unsanitary conditions. It is not unknown for children to have to cross open sewers to reach their schools. The vast majority of private schools, which serve upper class Pakistanis, have high tuitions and are geographically inaccessible because of their locations in wealthy neighborhoods and suburbs. Thus these schools are out of reach of the average family, let alone the truly impoverished. Traditionally the gap left by the existing school system has been filled by Madrasas. These religious schools provide little meaningful education outside of a basic grounding in Arabic and Urdu. These religious academies, especially in the north, have been associated with extremism. Madrasas, while filling an important cultural role, are not a substitute for a regular education. They have so far failed to inculcate a climate of religious tolerance and understanding.

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