Focus Humanitarian Assistance Pakistan

PROFILE OF THE COMPANY

Vision: To become a seamless world-class community-based emergency humanitarian assistance organisation capable of delivering an increasing number of effective programs and projects that save and protect lives, alleviate suffering and deprivation, facilitate refugee resettlement and repatriation, and facilitate disaster risk reduction measures.

Mission: To save lives, reduce suffering and create resilience in communities prone to man-made or natural disasters.

Permissible Business Activities:
FOCUS Pakistan works to save lives, reduce sufferings and create resilience in the communities prone to man-made and natural disaster ranging from mountainous to coastal areas of Pakistan. It is the lead implementing agency for humanitarian assistance of the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) in Pakistan, and draws upon its extensive experience in disaster management and response. With the mission to become a seamless world class community based emergency humanitarian assistance organization, FOCUS Pakistan started its services in mid 90s when Pakistan was challenged by the huge influx of Afghan refugees. Approximately 43,000 members of the Afghan community were facilitated by FOCUS in returning to their home country.

Since 1998, FOCUS has its Offices at Islamabad, Karachi, Gilgit-Baltistan and Chitral. Each office is managed by professional staff and supported by volunteers.

Currently, FOCUS Pakistan works on two main programmes:
• Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR)
• Emergency response, as and when required

FOCUS team is helping community in GLOF at Badswat, Ishokman, Pakistan.

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FOCUS

DISASTER RISK REDUCTION (DDR) The aim of DRR programme is to protect lives and prevent loss of property of communities with the help of methods derived from four organizational goals, i.e. i) Disaster Preparedness ii) Disaster Response iii) IDPs and Refugees Assistance and iv) Institutional Strengthening.

FOCUS has five components under this programme which include:

• Hazard, Vulnerability, and Risk Assessment
• Small Scale Mitigation 
• Community Based Disaster Risk Management
• Search and Rescue Team
• Disaster Assessment Response Team

Hazard Vulnerabilities and Risk Assessment (HVRA)
HVRA is a method for development of an inventory of all hazards faced by a community. The method involves development of historic profile of hazards and their impact, development of baseline data on most hazardous sites for further investigation and mitigation and identification of vulnerable population and elements at risk for each hazard, at the local level. The information is plotted on GIS applications for visual presentation in the form maps.

FOCUS Pakistan has produced Hazard Indication and Risk Maps of 655 villages in Gilgit-Baltistan and Chitral (GBC).

Mitigation
FOCUS undertakes studies and small mitigation work to reduce risks faced by communities. While it is difficult and in some cases, impossible to prevent disasters, there are ways to mitigate their effects. Since 2005, FOCUS Pakistan has completed 18 Mitigation Projects funded by Pakistan Poverty Alleviation Fund (PPAF), Royal Norwegin Embassy (RNE) and DIPECHO, mostly Protective walls at District Chitral, Ghizer and Hunza-Nagar.

Community Based Disaster Risk Management (CBDRM)
The Community Based Disaster Risk Management (CBDRM) aims to build the knowledge and skills to enable communities to survive and recover from natural and man-made disasters. This programme has been designed for both urban and rural communities and raises awareness and understanding of local hazards and disasters. Well-informed and well organised communities are better prepared to confront hazard and show greater resilience and capacity to recover when a disaster strikes. Community volunteers are trained by FOCUS to respond during different disasters and are able to carry out basic search and rescue and provide emergency first aid to the people who are affected.

FOCUS has established 162 Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) in different areas of Pakistan. FOCUS has trained over 38,000 community volunteers as first responders. An emergency stockpile including shelter, search and rescue items, first aid box is given to the CERTs to enable them to respond to the needs of affected people in the aftermath of a disaster.

FOCUS has provided 111 community and 4 regional stockpiles. The stockpiles are maintained by the community however, FOCUS carries out check to ensure that these are properly used and maintained.

School Safety Programme
FOCUS Pakistan’s specialized School Safety Programme aims at actively engaging students and school management in raising awareness, developing emergency and evacuation plans, hazard assessments of schools and developing response capacity at school level, by training school students, teachers and parents. This programme has worked with over 650 schools including Government Schools, AKES,P, private and some community schools in Gilgit Baltistan, Chitral, Sindh and Punjab. About 1,500 teachers and  over 25,000 students have been trained.

EMERGENCY RESPONSE
Since 1994, FOCUS has provided a full spectrum of emergency response activities from first -response to extended relief and recovery support. When FOCUS responds to a disaster, it is able to call upon a pre-positioned pool of volunteers from within the community. Harnessing local manpower for packaging, delivering and distributing humanitarian relief provides integral support to staff on the ground and ensures that those in direct contact with affected communities are soundly equipped with local knowledge of the terrain, culture and language.

Search and Rescue Team (SART)
FOCUS Pakistan’s Search and Rescue Team (SART) comprises 40 Search and Rescue Team (SART) members across Chitral, Gilgit-Baltistan and Karachi who have been trained in medium search and rescue techniques on standards aligned with International Search and Rescue Response Guidelines (INSARAG). Currently 35% of SART and 50% of CERT team members are women.

Disaster Assessment and Response Team (DART)
A fully disciplined team of expert volunteers forms the Disaster Assessment Response Team (DART) that undertakes assessments immediately after an emergency situation for making informed decision to ensure effective response. FOCUS Pakistan has established three DART teams at three regions i.e. Karachi, Gilgit and Chitral.

FOCUS has been providing humanitarian emergency relief including food and non-food items to disaster victims in line with humanitarian standards. Since 1998 FOCUS Pakistan has been able to respond to the following disaster with support from donors, UN agencies and the international community:

• Flood and Earthquake in Chitral and Gilgit-Baltistan 2015
• Chitral Flash Flood (2013)
• Building Collapse Lyari (2009 and 2011)
• Pakistan Flood Response (2010 and 2011)
• Attabad Landslide Response (2010)
• Baluchistan Earthquake (2008)
• Marriott Suicide Blast (2008)
• Sonoghar Mudflow and GLOF (2007)
• Parag/Garam Chashma Heavy Snowfall (2007)
• Kashmir Earthquake (2005)
• Astore Earthquake (2002)

Most recently, FOCUS Pakistan has commenced a project “Reducing climate change impact on vulnerable communities by enhancing community preparedness at the local level” which has been undertaken with financial support from the Government of Canada, provided through the Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development (DFATD) and Aga Khan Foundation Canada (AKFC).

Status of Company: Not for Profit Organization, , licensed under Sect 42 of the Companies Ordinance 1984
Company Registration Number: K-07378
Company National Tax Number: 1000608-7

Address: Registered Office: 2nd Floor, 62/C,
25th Commercial Street,
Tauheed Commercial Area,
DHA, Phase-V, Karachi.
Tel. No. (92 21) 35864662, 35864665
Fax No. (92 21) 35864490

Islamabad Office: Level 9, Serena Business Complex,
Opposite Convention Centre,
Khayaban-e-Suhrwardy, Islamabad
Tel. No. (92 51) 111 253 254
Fax No. (92 51) 2072552

Gilgit Office: Near City Gate Hotel,
Opposite GPO, Shahrah Quaid-e-Azam,
Jutial, Gilgit
Tel. No. (92 5811) 455259, 455490
Fax No. (92 5811) 455259

Chitral Office: Zargarandeh,
Chitral Town Tehsil & District Chitral
Tel. No. (92 943) 413801, 413803
Fax No. (92 943) 413802

Karachi Office: 2nd Floor, 62/C,
25th Commercial Street,
Tauheed Commercial Area,
DHA, Phase-V, Karachi.
Tel. No. (92 21) 35864662, 35864665
Fax No. (92 21) 35864490

E-mail ID: focuspakistan@focushumanitarian.org

Auditors: Ernst & Young Ford Rhodes Sidat Hyder chartered Accountants

GOVERNANCE

MEDIA

National / International Awards, Recognition, if any: 

• Sitara-e-Esaar – Presidential Award for Earthquake Response from the President of Islamabad Republic of Pakistan during 2006
• UN-SASAKAWA – Certificate of Merit in 2009 in Disaster Risk Reduction

Last date on which website was updated: 15 December 2015