Hussain Jarwar is our International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) alumnus of July 2011 batch. In January 2011, Jarwar received an email from U.S. Consulate Karachi confirming his selection for IVLP and title of the program was ‘Equal Rights for the Citizen’. IVLP advances civic and social justice initiatives in communities. Hussain found it very amazing to see how an American society was open about the citizens’ rights. He visited PAWANEE Nation College Oklahoma (African- American) and met with the community. They were having many protection rights of education, property, and special laws, etc. “We witnessed that State was responsible to protect the cultural minorities of the USA and ensuring their confidence in State Laws,” he shared.
IVLP was full of learning and insights for Hussain Jarwar. He visited Martin Luther King, JR National Historic site and Martlin Luther King, JR, center for non-violent social change in Atlanta, and heard stories about the freedom and citizens’ rights of African Americans. He also got a chance to meet with labor groups, indigenous groups, educational intuitions, native Americans, Pakistani diaspora, and Sindhi diaspora, and experienced family life.
“I learned how the diverse society of the U.S. has kept diversity as its societal strength and united all the people under one umbrella by ensuring that everyone is given equal rights. Nobody is above the law, and everyone will get equal rights despite of their race, caste, creed, religion, or ethnicity. Law of the land will treat everyone equally but similarly; we witnessed some issues in the practice as well, but nothing was hidden,” shared Hussain.
After having that rich exposure, Hussain Jawar returned to Pakistan with a lot of enthusiasm and commitment that enabled him to replicate his learning in personal and professional capacity. In September 2012, he joined his current organization Indus Consortium as Chief Executive Officer. He developed all the programs with a rights-based approach he experienced in the U.S. Hussain Jawar strongly believes that IVLP experience and exposure created awareness, and commitment in him to work for the citizens’ rights in his home country.
