World Humanitarian Day, which is being celebrated across the globe on August 19, draws our attention to the sacrifices and contributions of the aid workers and welfare organizations for the well-being and uplift of suffering humanity. It not only awakens the consciousness to acknowledge their good work but also inspires us to take a leaf from their book and do our bit for the good of humanity at both individual and collective levels.

Notwithstanding the great and miraculous strides made by technology and the emergence of the idea of global village, the humanity has been confronted with very complex challenges emanating from local, regional and global socio-economic and political contexts. The globalization has given birth to a new dynamism, which informs the power wrangling at different levels.

The scary realities of global financial meltdown, armed conflicts, energy deficits, skyrocketing food inflation and the prospect of food shortages at a wide scale contributed to the humanity’s unending dilemmas. There has never been a time when natural calamities such as earthquake and floods did not hit the world. The rampant prevalence of poverty, unemployment, and widening inequity between the haves and have-nots has further rendered the people vulnerable to new dangers.

What is pertinent is that these problems are not peculiar to what is referred to as the developing world ranging from Asia to Africa. They are very much a matter of global concern. Given the globalized structure of the world, there is a need to make concerted efforts and rethink our approaches to rid the developing world of these scourges. Affliction in any part of the world has domino effect on the rest. Globalization is both a challenge as well as an opportunity to improve the lot of human beings across continents through concerted action. Humanity has shared stakes in future and their collective well-being.

Minhaj Welfare Foundation, a sister organization of Minhaj-ul-Quran International, has been at the forefront of global initiatives for the welfare of humanity. Its core areas of operations, spread over many countries of the world, are education, health and human welfare. MWF has acted with promptness whenever any calamity hit in any part of the world without any discrimination of caste, creed, colour and race. Be Tsunami in Sri Lanka, Indonesia etc., earthquake in Baam, Azad Kashmir or unprecedented floods in Pakistan or elsewhere, MWF has moved forward to mitigate the sufferings of the people under its global outreach program.

It has been one of the major welfare organizations which mobilized its resources and deployed thousands of its workers in different parts of Pakistan to rescue those trapped in the flood-waters in 2010. Unlike many organizations, Minhaj Welfare Organization has been committed to the cause of complete rehabilitation of the flood affectees. So far, it has spent millions of rupees on the relief and rehabilitation of the flood affectees.

MWF believes that promotion of education is a key to address the contemporary challenges to the global peace. It has set up an elaborate educational architecture up to the university level, which includes 572 schools, colleges and a chartered university which are working in different parts of the country. The establishment of Islamic and Cultural Centres in different countries of the world is part of MQI’s global struggle against the forces of extremism, radicalism and terrorism as these centres are serving as bridge between Muslims and non-Muslims. These Centres also foster interfaith harmony, dialogue and understanding between followers of different religions.

I believe that the best way to hail the services of aid workers and welfare organizations is to vow to star working for the welfare of humanity. Minhaj-ul-Quran International, on its part, is committed to contribute its share in this regard.