The purpose of the website:
This website has 2 addresses: https:// pamirscharity.org and https://dhananifamilycharity.org.
Reason: Dhanani Famil Charity Program started intially as a registered family NGO in Tajikistan, but over time, its Program now also funds perpetual Charities in Syria and Tunisia and also one-off donations in the Sarajevo-area villages in Bosnia.
The website has been set up to make the activities of the Dhananis’ NGO fully transparent, to the Governments of Tajikistan , the Government of USA and for Membership in World Association of Non-Governmental Organizations
Charity Views of the Aga Khan VI
Background of Dhanani Family Charity (DFC):
DFC primarily consists of 3 self-funded Charity Programmes on behalf of the Benefactors Mother Sherbanu Dhanani, Father Hasham Dhanani, Sister Naseem Dhanani, Maternal Grand Parents Ali and Rahemat Adam, Daughter-in-Law Shahida Dhanani and Son Shiraz Dhanani.
Photos of the Benefactors of the 3 Charity Programmes: >
1) A Perpetual self-funded NGO “Ob Saamat Fukushoi” located in Dushanbe, Tajikistan.
Until circa 2065, the NGO will fund in small mountain villages in GBAO and Dushanbe area, community projects like providing villages access to drinkiing water and increase food security through repairing existing irrigation channels, construction of new irrigation systems, expand farms, and start new farms and orchards. until 2065.
The NGO will continue to fund village-level projects until circa 2065 when the current Director plans to retire.
After that, the NGO will operate to only to fund donations to medical centres. Because the scope of work will be reduced, the NGO will be managed by successive certified accountants who will also serve as full-time Directors of OSVS.
2) A perpetual Endowment for annual donations to Aga Khan Medical Centre in Salemieh, Syria, and
3) A Perpetual Programme of monthly grocery assistance to very poor single mothers in in a small village of Douz, bordering the Sahara Desert in Tunisia.
Prior to to the undertaking of the above-mentioned 4 Perpetual Programmes, DFC funded (between 2014-2016) one-on-one charity projects that helped multiple individual families in Bosnia , Tunisia, and Sri Lanka.
Below are the associated links for details:
Photos of women helped in Douz with types of donated assets. Funded US$10,000>>
Photos of a tuk tuk donated to Upul to service tourists. Funded US$5,000 >>
Programme 1: 1) A Perpetual self-funded NGO “Ob Saamat Fukushoi” located in Dushanbe, Tajikistan.
a) This Programme was started in 2017 and is managed by a Non-Profit NGO and this NGO is continuously fully-funded by the Benefactors.
The NGO is registered in Tajikistan under the name “Ob Salamat va Shukufoi” (OSVS), which means “Water, Health Prosperity”.
The NGO began operation in 2017 under the name “Umed ba Behbudi’ (UBB) (meaning ‘Hope for Prosperity’ ) and with the charter to operate only within the eastern province of Gorno-Badakshan. But in 2023, the Ministry of Justice, after auditing the NGO’s operation and its completed community projects in small villages, expanded the NGO’s Charter, authorized it to operate anywhere in Tajikistan and recomended to change the NGO’s name “Ob Salamat Va Shukufoi”.
OSVS is also now a member of the World Association of Non-Government Organizations (WANGO).
b) The Objectives of the NGO:
The objectives of the NGO have been to help small villages in the Pamirs mountains and those in Dushanbe area with the type of projects that those villages have needed based on their own ranked priorities.
S0, the NGO Director have been visiting small villages to confer with respective village chiefs to find out what would be the best help we can give them. This consultation process is continuous and so far the villages have submitted more than 150 projects and counting.
As of 2024, 55 projects (listed in item “h”) have been funded and completed and 2 more are underway.
c) The types of projects the NGO has been undertaking:
This NGO programme funds projects primarily for improving the qualite of life in the mountain villages. They fall into 7 main categories as listed in item “h“. The category 8 was an exception.
e) How the NGO OSVS is self-funded :
OSV operates using only the interest income from the continuously renewable 5-year Term Deposits (TD) that the Benefactors have invested their Grant Fundsin at ICB Bank in Dushanbe.
The annual interest-based budget has been averaging about US$80,000 (net of taxes) in equivalent Tajik Somonis.
To date, OSVS has cumulatively received from DFC a Grant of US 1,609,353 (including monthly TD interest incomes and starting expenses) . This Grant will continue to increase every year through annual interest incomes.
The monthly Status of the OSVS’s Grant funds and Account Balances >>
f) How OSVS is Managed:
The NGO is managed by the full-time salaried Executive Director Mavlonazar Mavlonarov and he is assisted by the Board of Directors, a certified accountant on retainer and a certified lawyer on as-needed basis.
g) The Offices of OSVS:
From 2017-May,2023, OSVS had an office in Khorog where the director lives. But towards the end of 2022, the building was nationalized and the Government required OSVS to have instead an office in Dushanbe becaause of the expanded Charter.
So now, OSVS maintains a small office in Dushanbe, but the projects are still being managed from Khorog. The Director operates it from his home to avoid expenses of maintaing 2 offices.
Khorog Office, which continued up to June 30, 2023 Photos >>
Dushanbe Office, as of February, 2023 Photos >>
h) Since 2018, the NGO has completed 55 projects as listed below, and Additionally,
Projects under construction >> 4
The Chiefs of Villages in GBAO have, to date, submitted even more requests to help them with funds over time>> To date 151+
The Projects Completed since 2018 have been focussed on imporoving the quality of life in the small mountain villages. The majority of projects have been to provide these villages with pipeline access to clean drinking water, and improve food security through repairs of existing irrigation channels and constructing new irrigation systems to expand existing farms, or estatblish new farms including orchards.
1) Provided villages access to safe drinking water by installing pipelines to mountain springs in the area and by digging water wells. Completed 25 projects. Donation Cost: US$147,999 Photos >>
5) Started /Upgraded businesses in villages to creat jobs and increase village incomes -Milk Dairy, Bee Farming, Chicken Farming, Produce fruit juices, shops for Metal Working, Carpentry, Welding, Wool-Processing, etc. Completed 9 projects. Donation cost US$49,885 Photos >>
The NGO plans to resume donations of about US$15,000 to AKMC beginning 2027 (The Ministry has instructed us to postpone it until then)
Photo of Aga Khan Medical Centre in Khorog >>
8) Helped 3 families as exceptions:
b) On behalf of a 9 y.o. girl from Khorog We researched for a complicated hip-surgery and located a great specialist at the Artemis Hospital near New Delhi, 2) Funded the shortfall in the funds that had been raised since 2 years ago towards covering the medicalexpenses and a 2-month stay locally for recovery. Completed 1 project, Donation Cost US$4,300 Videos >>
2) Perpetual Endowment to Aga Khan Medical Centre in Salamieh, Syria.
The Perpetual Endowment (PE) has already been initiated with an initial amount of US$1.5 million and eventually the PE amount will be at least US$2 millions+.
To maximize tax benefit, the rest of the eventual amount will be added incrementally US$150,000 annually.
a) Purpose of the Benefactors: To provide need based financial support to patients unable to afford the cost of medical treatment, and to make purchases of equipment that would enhance patient care, priority will be given to patients from villages.
b) How it is funded.
Under this Programme, the Benefactors’ Endowment Investment is managed by the Economic Committee of AKDN to generate annual interest income. Then the Aga Khan Health Services in Geneva (AKHS) forwards the annual interest incomes to AKMC-Salemieh for the purpose stated.
Photos of Aga Khan Medical Centre in Salamieh, Syria. including the Perpetual Endowment Plaque >>
4) A Perpetual Programme of monthly grocery assistance to very poor single mothers in Douz, Tunisia
This monthly grocery assistance is funded with the annual income from 3 palm groves (total 218 trees) and 70 ewes (to breed for lambs to sell) which the Benefactors bought and donated.
Additionally, to manage the Progamme, the Benefactors also donated 1) A pre-owned SUV to use for delievering groceries, and 2) A motorcycle for transportation to these palm groves.
This charity programme is curently managed by Mohamed Aoun and in the future, his descendants will manage it. S0, t this Programme hopefully will continue indefinitely.
The SUV will also enable Mohamed to conduct his own tours of the Sahara Desert in winter months.
Cost US$138,000
Photos of a few of the women that have been benefitting from grocery charity >>
Photos of the palm grows and ewes: >>