GRACE orgainzation pakistan NGO Grassroots Association for Community Empowerment
GRACE
State Department honours Shamshad Hussain, Executive Director of GRACE Association, Pakistan
News | May 2011 US State Department honours GRACE Executive Director
Shamshad Hussain, Executive Director of the GRACE Association, Pakistan, has been named alumnus of the month by the US State Department in recognition of Mr Hussain's work at GRACE.

In 2008, he completed a year of studies at Daytona State College as a student of the State Department-sponsored Community College Initiative Program CCIP. Following his return to Pakistan, Mr Hussain began initiating numerous community service projects in addition to his day-to-day work promoting volunteerism, education, and ecotourism. He is president of the Pakistan-US Alumni Network,

A media communique by the Department cites the honour of State Alumni Member of the Month as a recognition of Mr Hussain's leadership and promotion of mutual understanding.

Following the announcement, GRACE Association Founder and Chief Executive, Khadim Hussain, said:

  • The Board of Directors and all GRACE members are immensely proud. We would like to extend our thanks to the State Department; this recognition greatly encourages us in our determination to empower people and improve the quality of life in vulnerable communities. Shamshad and his team are passionately committed to developing practical solutions designed to tackle the root causes of poverty, environmental degradation, conflict, social and economic imbalances and exclusion. Their work is a key contribution to building authentic growth and enabling social transformation, which together open the way to a more just and sustainable society.

In April 2010 Mr Hussain became the coordinator for the local English Access Microscholarship Program at the GRACE Public School, Skardu, in Baltistan. In consultation with his team, he plans to expand this program to other parts the region. Gilgit-Baltistan is situated in the country's remote far north-east, where there is an acute lack of English language skills among children. This can be a serious professional disadvantage in a multi-lingual Pakistan where many businesses and government jobs require employees to speak English. As a result of the program, educational and future professional opportunities have expanded significantly for Gilgit-Baltistan's underprivileged children.

Please visit US State Department site for more reading or Daytona State College Blog.