Islamabad, JUL 31: /DNA/ – The Islamabad Chamber of Commerce & Industry (ICCI) and Alkhidmat Foundation Islamabad (AKFI) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to work jointly for the uplift of vulnerable people of society and provide relief to the needy and poor people of all the communities. The MoU was signed by Ahsan Zafar Bakhtawari, President, Islamabad Chamber of Commerce & Industry and Hamid Mehmood Athar, President, Alkhidmat Foundation Islamabad during a ceremony held at ICCI.

Both organizations have agreed to explore collaboration in different fields of relief work including establishment of skill development for orphans, community services, orphan care, microfinance and education. Both sides would share expertise, explore resources, enter into partnerships for the common cause of empowering and helping the vulnerable population. Both would join hands in initiatives including disaster management, social work, community welfare, community training and development, other special campaigns and tasks like relief campaigns in Ramazan, Rashan drive and on any sudden calamities that occur in the country or abroad. Both sides will provide a joint platform for making the AKFI and ICCI members socially active citizens of Pakistan by training them as volunteers. Both sides would work to raise funds for the projects related to Skill Development Center, Orphan Care, education, Microfinance, health and poverty alleviation.

Speaking on the occasion, Ahsan Zafar Bakhtawari, President, Islamabad Chamber of Commerce & Industry termed the MoU a positive development for the welfare of the vulnerable segments of the society. He said that AKFI is doing many laudable projects to improve the lives of the poor people of the society and ICCI’s cooperation with it would further strengthen its efforts in achieving this goal more effectively. He said that ICCI facilitate in building Skill Development Centre to enhance skills of the economically deprived individuals/orphans/widows so that they could become productive citizens and play more effective role in the economic development of the countryHamid Mehmood Athar, President, Alkhidmat Foundation Islamabad said that he was happy to sign MoU with ICCI as its cooperation with AKFI would further strengthen its hands to deliver for the deprived people of the society. He said that AKFI will provide volunteers to ICCI and its member industries for distribution of relief goods to vulnerable segments of the society. AKFI would also involve ICCI members in collection of relief goods including food items, medicines, items of daily use like clothes, shoes, blanket, coats, jackets, etc. for the poor and deprived people by establishing facilitation desks in ICCI and in its other concerns.