Rotary Foundation

Aziz Memon has been involved with Rotary for more than 30 years, and has led Rotary Foundation’s polio eradication efforts in Pakistan. He is Member of International PolioPlus Committee and Chair Pakistan National PolioPlus Chair for the country for the last eight years.

Under his chairmanship, Rotary International contributed US$ 134 million to Eradicate Polio from Pakistan through WHO and UNICEF. With the help of this funding several NIDS (National Immunization Days), seminars and conventions, were organized and aggressive campaigning of the End Polio Now slogan was conducted through billboards and hoarding in Karachi and across Pakistan.

Mr Memon worked closely with partners and stakeholders including WHO, UNICEF, EPI-government officials and departments, ulemas and religious scholars, celebrities, corporate executives from multinational companies and Rotarians to completely eliminate polio from Pakistan. He motivates Rotary Clubs to hold polio camps, seminars, joining hands with National Immunization teams to distribute social mobilization items to school children, as well as assisting them to access areas where security is an issue.

Flood & Earthquake Victims

For the victims of flooding disaster collected and organized blankets, food, clothing, and shelters for the flood victims. With the help of Rotary International he developed “Rotary Jo Goth” for the Thatta model village project with financial assistance of Rs22.18 million. It includes formation and strengthening of community organizations, construction of 150 shelters and adult literacy programmes. On 7th of November 2014 keys of 70 houses were handed over to the flood affected families who lost their homes during the flood.

During the earth quake hit the northern areas of Pakistan, Mr Memon had arranged shelters boxes, rashan bags, dry packed food items and sent two 40 feet containers for victims. Mr Memon also worked for the better health of the disenfranchised by building a large numbers of Rain Water harvesting tanks and hand-pumps to provide clean drinking water in different villages.

Artificial Limbs and Hearing Aids

Hearing aid donations is a permanent project of Rotary and he has arranged to donate the hearing aids to the different schools.

About 800 plus artificial limbs or the calipers has been fixed onto the amputees or polio victims were provided by the BVMSS Centre and uses the Jaipur Limb Technology.

HEALING HEARTS

About 70,000 babies with congenial heart disease (CHD) are born every year in Pakistan; the numbers are far higher in India. The Heart to Heart initiative of Aman ki Asha and the Rotary Humanitarian Project provide free heart surgeries for such children, especially aged between 3 to 20 years from poor families.

Governor Aziz Memon has a track record of delivering inspirational speeches but touching scenes were also witnessed when he spoke his heart out in the Aman ki Asha session organized during the District Conference in Ludhiana, India, recently.

“Trust me quite a few Rotarians and their families present on the occasion had broken into tears when I ran a video of one minute and 45 seconds, during the course of my speech,”

Memon recalled after his return from Ludhiana where he was the keynote speaker in the programme which was a part of the Annual District Conference held there from February 3 to 5.

“The pacemaker bank has also been immensely beneficial, having brought smiles back to the faces on many people. Now there are plans to build a hospital in Karachi, with the help of Rotarians from India, which will be rather appropriately titled Peace Hospital.”

Education

Mr. Memon knows that basic education and literacy are essential for reducing poverty, improving health, encouraging community and economic development, and promoting peace.

Rotary Pakistan Literacy Mission was formed in 2014 with the objective to make Pakistan totally literate. The mission is to work for Total Literacy and Quality Education in Pakistan with aims to adopt 1,000 government schools in Pakistan to institute educational reforms.

Pakistan today has very low rate of literacy comparing to many other similar countries and it’s rate of literacy amongst female is amongst the lowest in the world.

Rotary is Pakistan has developed a program to focus in various areas of education. The program called TEACH covers:

Teachers Development,
E- Learning,
Adult Literacy,
Child Development and
Happy Schools.

A very comprehensive program in each of the focus areas has been developed.

The target is to make interventions in government schools as that is where we can reach the non-going and out of school children. Rotary clubs in Pakistan is actively involved in supporting the program.

Besides TEACH we are also focusing in developing reading habits and creating libraries. Our target is to collect more than a million books and of which we have been able to collect half a million books and created or supported around 400 libraries in schools, colleges and communities.

We have partnered with USAID in Sindh, Balochistan and Northern parts of Pakistan and are working with them to support their reading program.

We are also partnering with various provincial governments to work in schools at grass root level with our mission for total literacy and quality education.

Kings Friendship Campus

He supports education for all children and to fulfill his social obligation he established a primary school Kings Friendship Campus in Winder Baluchistan, to provide quality education for the less privileged. The school provides education to 200 students and is being run by TCF Foundation.

Only a strong believer can turn dreams into reality. During his tenure as President of Rotary Club of Karachi, he succeeded in completing his dream project of the “Rotary Club of Karachi Lyari School” for which a colossal amount of Rs. 40 million was raised (75% of this amount came from Non-Rotarians). His heart and those of fellow Rotarians are gladdened by the fact that 1,600 children are being provided English medium education at the school.