Naya Jeevan and the poverty trap

Single major medical events such as heart attacks or pregnancy can decimate poverty-stricken families and it is therefore important to tackle poverty at its root causes, stated founder and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Naya Jeevan, Asher Hasan.

Hasan, who was speaking on The Morning Show on Express 24/7, said that his organisation believed that all Pakistanis should have access to quality healthcare.

Hasan’s Naya Jeevan, which is a not for profit social enterprise providing healthcare to lower income families, began operating in 2009 and currently has close to 11,000 beneficiaries of health plans.

“The idea is that philanthropy should not take place in silos and social services should be provided in total eco-systems, so that families can have access to healthcare, economic opportunities and financial services,” he said.

“This will help the family come out of poverty and into the middle-class”.

He said the priority of Naya Jeevan was social impact and unlike a Non-profit Organisation (NGO), a social enterprise focuses on becoming independent of grants over time.

Hasan said his organisation catered to people with a salary threshold of Rs20,000 and below, and said that the reason behind this was that this income level was vulnerable and exposed in their time of need, adding that families are normally at the mercy of their employers.