Fauji Foundation
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The Fauji Foundation Pakistan is a trust set up for the welfare of ex-servicemen and their dependents. It is incorporated under The Charitable Endowments Act, 1890. Its aim and structure of governance is given in the Scheme of Administration as notified by the Government of Pakistan. Although the current name dates from 1967, the origin of the Foundation lies in the Military Reconstruction Fund (later known as the Post War Services Reconstruction fund) established in 1942 by the Government of British India for the post-war welfare and rehabilitation of ex-servicemen and their dependents, defined as beneficiaries.
These beneficiaries now number approximately 9.6 million, i.e., around 7% of Pakistan’s population, and increases by approximately 2% per year. Fauji Foundation extends services in the fields of health, education, technical & vocational training. This is achieved through 11 hospitals, 24 medical centres, 82 mobile & static dispensaries, 98 schools, 2 colleges, and 75 technical & vocational training centres. In the year 2005-06, over 2.1 million patients received treatment at Fauj Foundation Healthcare facilities making it the most extensive health care chain in the private sector. The Fauji Foundation Education System has today approximately 38,000 students on its roll. Its chain is the largest outside the public sector. Every year approximately 70,000 student stipends are dispersed, about 5,000 of which are for higher professional programmes and superior academic performance. This is the largest stipend scheme in the private sector. Every year about 6,000 trainees are given technical and vocational training through its centres. Since this programme was established in the period 1976-81, over 145,000 people have availed these facilities. Fauji Foundation is thus extending social welfare services to a sizeable sector of the population. Approximately 80% of the annual earnings of the Foundation are channeled into welfare.
The raison d’etre of the Foundation is the welfare of its beneficiaries. Therefore, strong commercial operations are a must to fund the welfare for an expanding beneficiary base on a sustainable basis. Thus it has a number of industrial & commercial concerns, (generally known as the Fauji Group); half of them are fully owned by the Foundation and in the remaining it controls the boards, through major investment & shareholding. The sectors currently invested in are fertilizer, power, oil & gas exploration & distribution, oil terminal operations, financial services, cement, sugar, cereals, employment services, and security services.
Its growth through judicious investments, and the attendant social facility it has provided to a large and expanding sector of the population has given rise to a unique model of sustainable economic growth for the purpose of funding welfare activities. This is an example worth emulating. Since the Foundation does not accept any grants, there is no option but to increase income through prudent investment. The last 50 years of its existence suggest that the Foundation successfully meets all its continuously expanding welfare obligations across the country, from resources generated internally.
The nature of its operations make Fauji Foundation a unique welfare-cum-industrial group.
International Recognition
Fauji Foundation has also earned considerable applause outside the country. It earned the coveted prize ‘The World Veterans Federation Rehabilitation Prize’ in 1997 at Seoul- South Korea which was received by then Fauji Foundation Director-Welfare Brigadier Muneeb-ur-Rehman Farooqui SI(M). The citation runs that the prize was awarded ‘for its remarkable achievements in looking after ex-servicemen and their families in providing healthcare, education, technical training, employment, artificial limbs and other facilities for the rehabilitation of disabled ex-servicemen, thus enabling them to be full-fledged citizens contributing to the welfare of their communities.’ Very few like outfits can boast of such a remarkable performance.
