Volunteer work: ‘Learn from the Americans’
"In America people invite the homeless to stay in their houses for one night to a month,” says Dr M Ali Chaudry.
LAHORE:
The first Pakistani-born mayor of a US town has urged Pakistanis to learn a lesson from Americans when it comes to volunteer work.
“In America people invite the homeless to stay in their houses for one night to a month,” said Dr M Ali Chaudry. “Considering the flood situation, such a practice would have been very helpful here.”
Dr Chaudry who served as mayor of Bernards Township, New Jersey, in 2004 and is currently a lecturer at the Rutgers State University School of Business, was speaking at the Lahore Press Club on the subject ‘Volunteerism in the US’.
He said Pakistanis should volunteer more to do community work. This was an important factor in the success of American towns, he said.
He gave some examples of practices that could be adopted from America. He said American teachers were generally employed within two kilometres of where they lived, so they could get to work easily. “Transport is a big issue for many teachers in government schools in Pakistan,” he said.
Dr Chaudry said the use of technology in education should also be encouraged, he said. “I can deliver a lecture in an American university while I’m sitting in Lahore, thanks to the Internet. I appeal to universities in Pakistan to benefit from the IT revolution,” he said. Artist Dr Aijaz Anwar thanked Dr Chaudry for elaborating on volunteerism in the US, but added that Pakistanis were different from Americans.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 23rd, 2010.
The first Pakistani-born mayor of a US town has urged Pakistanis to learn a lesson from Americans when it comes to volunteer work.
“In America people invite the homeless to stay in their houses for one night to a month,” said Dr M Ali Chaudry. “Considering the flood situation, such a practice would have been very helpful here.”
Dr Chaudry who served as mayor of Bernards Township, New Jersey, in 2004 and is currently a lecturer at the Rutgers State University School of Business, was speaking at the Lahore Press Club on the subject ‘Volunteerism in the US’.
He said Pakistanis should volunteer more to do community work. This was an important factor in the success of American towns, he said.
He gave some examples of practices that could be adopted from America. He said American teachers were generally employed within two kilometres of where they lived, so they could get to work easily. “Transport is a big issue for many teachers in government schools in Pakistan,” he said.
Dr Chaudry said the use of technology in education should also be encouraged, he said. “I can deliver a lecture in an American university while I’m sitting in Lahore, thanks to the Internet. I appeal to universities in Pakistan to benefit from the IT revolution,” he said. Artist Dr Aijaz Anwar thanked Dr Chaudry for elaborating on volunteerism in the US, but added that Pakistanis were different from Americans.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 23rd, 2010.