Striving for the best.

• Author: Ahmed, Khalil
• Position: Kalbe Abbas Dharamsey

Byline: KHALIL AHMED

SHINE Humanity making lasting impact on health, well-being of underserved communities

Sindh govt remains supportive, more backing helps us support rural people

Interview with Mr Kalbe Abbas Dharamsey - Chairman Board of Directors, SHINE Humanity, Pakistan

PAGE: Tell me something about yourself and your organization, please:

Kalbe Abbas Dharamsey: I currently serve as the Chairman of the Board of Directors for SHINE Humanity Pakistan, an NGO founded in 2009 by a group of Pakistani-American doctors and entrepreneurs based out of Tustin, California. Alongside my role at SHINE Humanity, I am a businessman by profession and serve as a director at Farah International.

Our mission at SHINE Humanity is to provide compassionate and sustainable preventative and primary healthcare to underserved communities by collaborating with key partners. In 2013, we registered under the Societies Act 1860 to further advance our mission and implement it in Pakistan. Since our founding, SHINE Humanity has been active in different parts of the world, and our current area of focus is rural Pakistan, particularly Sindh, where we provide free healthcare services to underserved communities through our 13 primary healthcare clinics.

At our clinics, we offer a range of services, including outpatient care, preventative health education, free medication, lab tests, ultrasounds, and referral services. Additionally, our clinics serve as hubs for various programs, including diabetes, asthma, hepatitis, malaria, malnutrition and more.

Our programmatic approach is what sets SHINE Humanity apart from other non-profit organizations. We work to address healthcare issues deeply embedded in our communities, rather than just providing treatment. By treating diseases at the grassroots level before they become serious and potentially life-threatening, we can make a lasting impact on the health and well-being of underserved communities.

PAGE: Charity is a central tenet of Islam, which lays great emphasis on supporting the needy and the poor. What is your perspective about it?

Kalbe Abbas Dharamsey: As Muslims, we have always been taught that if you save one life, you save all of humanity. At SHINE Humanity, we strongly believe that if we have been blessed with enough resources, then it is our duty to give back to society and help those in need.

We began our mission by identifying the people of Sindh, who are in dire need of a strong healthcare system, as none exists...