Feb 4, 2021 – Islamabad: In a special meeting chaired by SAPM Dr. Sania Nishtar, the standards for private sector orphanages were approved. This is the first time that such an initiative has been taken. Pakistan has a very vibrant philanthropy sector and there are a number of orphanages in the private sector which have mushroomed all over the country. However, there is no consistency in services provided in these orphanages and the care provided is of varying quality. Taking cognizance of this, Ehsaas strategy had stipulated under its policy no. 37 that standards would be developed for orphanages. For this purpose, a committee was established in 2019. The committee was headed by Chairperson Khubaib Foundation and all major NGOs hosting orphanages were members of the committee in addition to Parliamentarians. The committee held 17 formal meetings and 70 side sessions. The meeting formally approved standards and it was decided that these standards will be notified for all orphanages in the federal area and will be shared with provinces asking them to implement.