Naya Jeevan for Kids

Asclepius learnt the art of healing from Chiron [a healer and a teacher], but the NJFK team has learnt it from the victims: the socioeconomically disadvantaged children in developing countries.

NJFK is the acronym for a not-for-profit organization that is dedicated to providing free/ subsidized healthcare to children in developing countries with an initial focus on India and Pakistan.

NJFK, as a social enterprise, uses corporate principles to create an impact on society. This brilliant idea by young Pakistani social entrepreneurs has had been acknowledged at an international platform. The NJFK team has won NYU Stern’s annual business plan competition in April 2008.

Today, nrpglobal provides the highlights of its discussion about the project with the Vice President of NJFK, Mr. Saad Tabani.

Obviously, my first and foremost query was about NJFK.

How did it begin?

“It was Asher Hasan’s brainchild, who is a doctor by profession. Asher’s first-hand experiences gave him this idea. I met him at NYU, while he was looking for other team members for the project,” said Saad, over a cup of coffee, at Bryant Park, in New York. “All members of the team thought that it would be best to take it to a recognized platform, such as NYU Stern’s annual business plan competition, where we won $75,000 for our business plan.”

In layperson’s terms, this project aims to provide health insurance to citizens in developing countries. “There is no health coverage to support catastrophic health conditions in countries such as Pakistan, and we are trying to ensure that there is,” said Saad. “We would also like to ensure that the quality of healthcare facilities provided is the same for all.”

According to the World Health Organization, Pakistan’s total health expenditures amounted to 3.9 percent of gross domestic product in 2001, and per capita health expenditures were US$16.

The Pakistani government has undertaken several initiatives to address the situation. One example of such an initiative is Pakistan's Social Action Program (SAP), which is largely funded by the Pakistani government and the World Bank. There are concerns about the productivity of these programs, given the absence of community ownership of socially viable projects.

But, with initiatives such as Naya Jeevan (new life) where communities organize, create, and manage social enterprises; there is nayee umeed (new hope) for us.

What do you think?