Since 1992, Insan formally began its work with the mission to provide basic literacy skills to the working and street children in Lahore i.e. working in automobile workshops, small hotels and shops. “Insan” is an Urdu word for “human” and serves as the basic principle for the organization to work for and with all humans irrespective of any identity.
During its first eight years, Insan catered to about a hundred students per six months in each of the six educational centers. At one point of time, Insan also launched one such center in a village called “Theatre” near the Pakistan-India border. Insan used newspapers for enabling children to identify alphabets, connect them to make words and words into sentences in two to three months time. Many of the of the students became volunteers and started helping Insan undertake theatres “Mistree Natik” or “Mechanics Theatre”, even in the streets and bazaars, in Lahore and around to educate people about the negative impact of child labor and poor educational system on children.
In the beginning of 2008, Insan had its comprehensive strategic review, the organization underwent structural change and developed its strategic direction. The women’s rights and gender came to the forefront in the light of the new strategic direction. This development took place fundamentally because…
- The new leadership that stepped in strongly felt that rights are indivisble, universal and unalienablex
- Women could not be isolated from mainstream struggle even if it is all about rights of children and youth
- Such policy discussions and legislative processes were on going on at the national level that bore serious implications for women in Pakistan
- any civil society organizations and government institutions demanded from new leadership of Insan to work on women’s rights, gender and women’s empowerment keeping in view the potential of the organization.