Akhuwat.org.pk

Akhuwat is governed by a Board of seventeen members, consisting of philanthropists, civil servants and businessmen. The main responsibility of the internal governance rests with the Board. Role of the Board members has been well defined in the legal documents of the organization and they formulate and approve policies, and provide guidance and direction on different matters. The Board meets quarterly to review operations and take policy decisions. Another salient responsibility of the board is to provide marketing services for Akhuwat and mobilize funds for loans. An Executive Committee consisting of three members meets every month for reviewing all administrative and operational issues of the organization.

Dr. Amjad Saqib, a renowned social worker and development expert, is the Executive Director of Akhuwat. The organizational structure of Akhuwat mainly consists of the Operations department and Human Resource department. IT and other issues are handled by the Programme Managers. This system works for Akhuwat as it is still a growing organization with a work force of more than 175 employees. Apart from the Programme Managers, the Executive Director is supported by a Finance Manager, Credit Operation Manager and an Internal Auditor. Dr Amjad Saqib and all the Board members work on honorary basis since the beginning, as they felt drawing their salary out of donations would be inappropriate. The top management has no financial interest and work purely out of benevolence. There are many other volunteers working for Akhuwat who help in fund raising and other matters. Students of different universities work as volunteers for Akhuwat. According to Dr. Amjad Saqib, "Akhuwat is a blend of volunteerism and necessary compensation".

As loans are interest free, it is imperative for Akhuwat to keep the costs low. Apart from the fact that the Board of Directors get no remuneration, the organizational setup has been kept very simple. The organization does not own any vehicle and the staff are expected to go about on local transport or their motorcycles, for which they are reimbursed. The offices are small and simple, with very little furniture and ‘farshi’ seating arrangements.

The Head Office is responsible for managing, planning, organizing different activities and projects of the organization. Head Office also allocates funds for credit needs. The Credit Operation Manager leads a team of five Area Managers, each responsible for their respective allocated branches. Each branch is run by a Branch Manager, who leads a team of 4-6 Unit Managers, who are responsible for the field operations of Akhuwat. Some branches have a steering committee, comprised of 8-10 prominent individuals living in that area and two representatives from Akhuwat, generally the Area and the Branch Managers. The job of the committee is to oversee all the functions of the branch and also to mobilize funds in their respective areas.

Akhuwat is operational in Lahore, Rawalpindi, Faisalabad, Dijkot, Samundari, Gujrat, Lodhran, Jahanian, Chiniot, Chunian, Arzani Pur, Changa Manga, Bahawalpur, Sheikupura, Miani, Kot Momin (Sargodha), Kot Mitan (Rajanpur), Choti Zaireen (Dera Ghazi Khan), Krore Pecca, Duniya Pur, and Multan. The programme is also being replicated in Karachi, Khairpur (Sindh) District, and Bahawalnagar. Akhuwat operates through 36 branches and is being replicated in 22 cities of Pakistan.