INSIGHT

By Saif Manzoor

Internet and Mobile communication have completely changed the way we communicate with each other. The traditional barriers of time and location are fast vanishing. In Pakistan these technologies are spreading rapidly and becoming more affordable day by day. Rich or poor, everyone carries a mobile phone and almost everyone who can read and write has an email address. This has created a great opportunity and a ready “platform” for those who wish to see a prosperous Pakistan by alleviating poverty, spreading education and social welfare.

Ilm-o-Amal is one of the first social welfare communities in Pakistan to adopt this platform to manage all its processes over the web. It is a significant break from the traditional way or working. Now all the team members can communicate whenever they want and from wherever they are and all the information are available at the touch of the keyboard. As a volunteer network we have adopted following five resolutions which are essential for our success:

We will grow our “Core Team”
Ilm-o-Amal is started and managed by a small “core team” which consists of our management committee, coordinators and field volunteers who volunteer to make a difference in the lives of others. We will continue to develop and grow our core team.

We will “Contribute” our skills and resources
No community can prosper without contribution from its members. We must contribute our financial resources, skills and time to make a difference in the life of others. We will continue to volunteer with all our energies to make this community grow.

We will “Cooperate” with each other
A strong team consists of people with different personalities, professional and social backgrounds and even their motivations may be different. We will continue to connect with each other to develop cooperation and develop tolerance for difference of opinions.

We will “Collaborate” with each other
Without a vision, mission, well-defined objectives and processes even a mass of contributions does not amount to anything. For success we must develop processes which are ordered and complex & collaborate and manage them in a disciplined way.

We will promote “Social Creativity”
A successful community must have a way to share, combine and cohere around a common goal and find new ways to solve old problems. We will promote social creativity by creating forums where our members can publish and share ideas.

This article is inspired by the book “We-Think – Mass innovation not mass production” by Charles Leadbeater