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 Aga Khan
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 43-year Programme for funding community projects in small villages in GBAO and Dushanbe Area in Tajikistan,
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: The 40-year Programme for funding community projects in small villages in GBAO and Dushanbe Area in 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”.
In 2017 the NGO’s name was “Umed ba Behbudi’ (UBB) (meaning ‘Hope for Prosperity’ ). But in 2023, the Ministry of Justice, after auditing the NGO’s operation and its completed community projects in small villages, decided to give the NGO a new name “Ob Salamat va Fukushoi” (OSVS), meaning Water Health and Prosperity, and it also expanded its Charter .
Between 2017 and 2022, we could only operate within the the very eastern province of GBAO. But beginning in 2023, we have now been authorized to operate anywhere in Tajikistan.
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 1,600,550 (including monthly TD interest incomes and starting expenses) .
OSVS will be stay in operation until around 2060 and so with the additional future interest income, the cumulative Grant will grow to be close to US$4 million.
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:
It maintains,from 2023, a small official office in Dushanbe as required by the Government, but the projects have been managed since the start in 2017 from its office in Khorog, where the Director resides.
The office in Khorog had to be given up in 2023 after the building was nationalized, and now the Director operates it from home since suitable office locations as of now are unavailable in Khorog.
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
OSVS will continue to undertake and fund New projects until the current Director retires, circa 2060, and then the NGO will need to close down, because the Grant Makers will have passed away and the selection of reliable and motivated successive directors will be risky.
The Chiefs of Villages in GBAO have, to date, submitted even more requests to help them with funds over time>> To date 151+
Projects Completed since 2018:
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 >>
(Projects completed or are underway as Requested by the Ministry, for Locations outside GBAO >> 2)
i) How long will the NGO OSVS continue to operate:
When the current NGO Director Mavlonazar Mavlonarov retires (circa 2060), Shiraz or Shahida will have long passed awayand they would not not be able to choose a Successive Director.
In view of the above, the NGO ‘OSVS’ will close down whenever Mavlonazar retires. Then all the cash assets on hand at the time will be either donated as one large one-off donation to Aga Khan Health Services or Aga Khan Foundation in Tajikistan. Some of their key categories of projects are very similar to our categories of projects.
Prior to making this last one-off donation, Mavlonazar will consult with Aga khan Health Servics and Aga Khan Foundation for the guidance.
2) Perpetual Endowment to Aga Khan Medical Centre in Salamieh, Syria.
Amount: The Perpetual Endowment has been initiated with an initial investment of US$1.5 million. However, beginning 2025, the Benefactors will add to the Endowment US$150,000 each year,until the last of Shiraz or Shahida passes away.
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: >>