By Mo Shah

The soul of any cause is fostered by its supporters. If such is the case, then the seemingly insurmountable task of eradicating illiteracy in Pakistan has just been injected with renewed hope and vigor, in the form of YOUR DIL. YOUR DIL is the offspring of Developments in Literacy (DIL), a non-profit organization that works to eliminate illiteracy in lesser developed regions of Pakistan through the establishment and funding of secondary schools. As an offshoot to DIL, YOUR DIL was incepted subsequently to target and generate awareness of DIL’s cause amongst a younger populous.

The statistics are as staggering today as they were when DIL was formed back in 1997. 33% of Pakistanis live below the international poverty line; 40% of Pakistanis have no access to basic health services; 45% have no access to hygienic drinking water; 50% of the entire population is illiterate – with the figure jumping to 70% when restricted to just women. As indicated in the YOUR DIL website, the benefits of education are as hopeful as the current literacy environment in Pakistan is hopeless – a mother with a primary education is five times as likely to send her children to school and has 40% less children than a woman who has not received said education. Former Secretary of the Treasury, Larry Summers, estimated that investing $40,000 a year to educate 1,000 Pakistani girls has the highest social rate of return in the world. According to the World Bank the single largest determinant of economic growth for eight East Asian economies was education. Studies show that on average one additional year of schooling is associated with an annual increase in farming output of between 2% and 5%. These facts and statistics may seem surprising to us, but they are the primary impetus behind YOUR DIL’s daily endeavors.

So that, in short, is the problem; now what’s the solution? YOUR DIL raises funds for the DIL schools as well as their own YOUR DIL Nation School in Orangi, Karachi. Transcending the simple business-model of a non-profit, YOUR DIL also augments its responsibilities by lending “outreach support” to likeminded organizations. Funds are predominantly generated through the ritual “Pakistani Organization” fundraiser trappings: social events such as fashion shows, concerts, and galas. While the events themselves may run the gambit of any other Pak-American mainstream social gathering (young men networking; younger women social-climbing), the greater good at hand permeates through the proceedings. It pierces through the din thanks to the hard work and commitment of YOUR Dil’s President, Samar Shaheryar. Samar is always at hand in every function I have attended thus far, to ground an otherwise passé crowd with some cold hard reality – and every time she does this, she does it well. Raising funds for this cause is akin to walking a tightrope – there must be just enough emphasis on the challenges and goals of the organization, and sufficient levity for the audience to “enjoy the show.” Samar seems keenly aware of this delicate balance and, accordingly, has tailored her comments and slideshow to pack enough punch that people learn something, without the “facts” themselves overwhelming the physical or emotional space of the evening.

The organization has grown from 10 founders to 140 members in New York alone. Most of these members are volunteers who donate their time and energy to assist in spreading the YOUR DIL message as well as laboriously aiding in the construction of periodic events. It is fair to say that without YOUR DIL’s volunteers, the organization’s ability to affect change would be reduced markedly. Volunteers lie at the very core of the enterprise, and YOUR DIL’s future endeavors will always rely and leverage upon socially conscious individuals who supplement and execute the organization’s goals.

So how exactly does YOUR DIL attract its donors? One such event is the YOUR DIL Annual Gala. This year’s gala, held recently at the West Side Loft was afforded the rather unnecessary name, “A Night on the Indus.” Music was provided by DJ Aaron James and food was inventively catered by Bukhara. The event was split in to three sections – a “hookah lounge”, a main bar/food area (with three small food stalls bedecked with ethnic outlines and canopies), and a main dining room and dance floor. Logistically speaking, this was definitely your run-of-the-mill desi event – with tickets priced at $100, it was a good opportunity for younger New Yorkers to donate to charity and enjoy an opportunity to mingle with a likeminded dynamic. A number of non-Pakistanis showed up this year, which is a great asset to the cause. Samar Shaheryar was on hand to run through the statistics of poverty/illiteracy in Pakistan. Equally important was a rundown of how easy it is for the privileged attendees to educate a child - $50 a year. She also outlined a few projects being worked on by Your DIL, including the progress at the school in Orangi, and the burgeoning Your DIL chapters across the United States.

Following Samar’s presentation [right], the honoree of the evening was introduced. Now, being that YOUR DIL is an organization that focuses on literacy in Pakistan, MTV News correspondent Gideon Yago was not the most obvious or (as far as this specific cause is concerned) deserving recipient of the evening’s spotlight. But about a minute into his speech, that did not seem to matter any more. Gideon, who’s all of 28, is a principle writer and reported of MTV News. He has also completed several award winning pieces on AIDS, drugs, hate crimes, and natural disasters such as Hurricane Katrina and the South Asian Earthquake. He has interviewed current President Bush, John Kerry, Al Gore, as well as the usual suspects in the entertainment community. YOUR DIL’s Leadership Award is afforded to an individual under 35 who has positively impacted Pakistan. Gideon Yago may not directly work with Pakistanis on the ground, but his award winning work on the South Asian Earthquake did bring the magnitude and urgency of the catastrophe to the MTV generation. His work highlighted the need for YOUR DIL to start working on schools in the impacted areas. In other words, once you scratch the surface, Gideon deserves the award – and then some.

Yago [left] made his comments snappy, but they had a heartfelt and potent immediacy to them that made many listen. He spoke about a multitude of governmental and corporate problems/impediments when it comes to aiding humanitarian causes, and he emphasized that where larger institutions and governments fail to deliver, “YOUR DIL, does.” And he repeated that phrase throughout his talk, lending some well earned credibility and stature to this noble cause. He spoke about how YOUR DIL managed to use its email lists and resources to mobilize the shipping of 150 tons of blankets, tents, and supplies to Pakistan during the Earthquake. He further emphasized that in this celebrity and monetarily obsessed world, it is important - if not critical - to obscure causes like earthquake relief and illiteracy behind episodes of Pimp My Ride. That was a great line. As soon as he concluded his talk, the din resumed, and everyone got back into “party-mode.” But his speech stuck with some of us. It meant something to those who cared to listen.

The evening concluded with the routine drinks and loud Pakistani banter. The desi-meets-hip-hop fusions music did not motivate as many people on the dance floor, and was not particularly “choice.” The bars were overwhelmed with patrons, but not to the point where you couldn’t get a drink. Hookahs were smoked, business cards exchanged, and phone numbers were entered into BlackBerries. But for those of us who actually believed in this cause, and I’d like to think that we were a majority, the evening took on a grander appeal. There is nothing anyone could have done that night that would have meant more to someone, somewhere, unfortunate enough to warrant the world’s attention. Slowly, through organizations like YOUR DIL, they will get it. YOUR DIL really does.

YOUR DIL Website: http://www.yourdil.org/

Top Picture Courtesy YOUR DIL website
Event Photos Courtesy Alicia Kozikowski and Barb Wenzel