Akhtar Hameed Khan facts for kids

Akhter Hameed Khan (Urdu: اختر حمید خان, born July 15, 1914 – died October 9, 1999) was a famous Pakistani social scientist. He worked to improve life in villages and poor city areas. He believed that local people should be involved in making decisions about their own communities.

He is best known for creating the Comilla Model in 1959. This was a big project to help villages grow and become better. Because of this work, he won the Ramon Magsaysay Award. He also received an honorary law degree from Michigan State University.

In the 1980s, he started the Orangi Pilot Project near Karachi. This project helped people in poor city areas build their own homes and improve sanitation. It became a great example of how communities can help themselves. Khan also started many other programs, like small loans (microcredit) and family planning. He was recognized internationally and received high honors in Pakistan. He could speak at least seven languages! Besides his academic writings, he also wrote poems and travel stories in Urdu.

Early Life and Education

Akhter Hameed Khan was born on July 15, 1914, in Agra. His father was a police inspector who believed in social reform. His mother introduced him to poetry and philosophy from a young age. This made him interested in history and how societies work.

He went to Government High School in Jalam and then Agra College. In 1932, he studied English literature, history, and philosophy at Meerut College. Sadly, his mother passed away that same year. He continued his studies and earned a Master of Arts degree in English Literature from Agra University in 1934.

After teaching at Meerut College, he joined the Indian Civil Service (ICS) in 1936. As part of his training, he studied at Magdalene College, Cambridge, in England. During his time in the ICS, he worked as a tax collector. This job showed him how difficult life was for people in rural areas, especially in East Bengal (now Bangladesh).

He saw how tough life was for many people, especially during a big famine in 1943. This made him decide to leave his government job in 1945. He felt that he needed to escape the "trap" of bureaucracy. For two years, he worked as a laborer and locksmith in a village. This experience taught him a lot about the daily problems of village communities.

In 1947, he started teaching at Jamia Millia Islamia in Delhi. In 1950, he moved to Pakistan and taught at Islamia College, Karachi. Later that year, he became the Principal of Comilla Victoria College in East Pakistan (now Bangladesh). He stayed there until 1958.

Helping Communities and Advising Governments

After moving to Pakistan, Khan was asked to use his Comilla Model in other parts of the country. He turned down some offers because he felt they were more about politics than helping people. However, he continued to advise governments on how to help rural areas. For example, he advised on how to manage irrigation systems with community help.

He worked as a researcher at the University of Agriculture, Faisalabad from 1971 to 1972. He also directed a research project at Karachi University from 1972 to 1973. From 1973 to 1979, he was a visiting professor at Michigan State University. During this time, he continued to advise rural development academies in Bangladesh and Pakistan. He also traveled a lot, giving talks and advising on rural development programs around the world. He even worked as a consultant for the World Bank in Indonesia. He also taught briefly at Lund University, Harvard University, and the University of Oxford.

In 1980, Khan moved to Karachi. He started working to improve sanitation in the poor areas of the city. He founded the Orangi Pilot Project (OPP) in Orangi, which is a very large squatter community. He worked on this project until he passed away in 1999. He also helped develop the Aga Khan Rural Support Programme. The OPP became a famous example of how communities can develop from the ground up.

Death

In 1999, Akhter Hameed Khan was visiting his family in the United States. He became very ill with kidney failure. He passed away on October 9, 1999, in Indianapolis at the age of 85. His body was brought back to Karachi and buried at the Orangi Pilot Project office compound.

His Lasting Impact

Akhter Hameed Khan's ideas and leadership continue to inspire many people today. His students and colleagues still follow his guiding principles. A book about rural development in South Asia was even dedicated to him.

After his death, on April 10, 2000, the Government of Pakistan renamed the National Centre for Rural Development after him. It is now called the Akhter Hameed Khan National Centre for Rural Development and Municipal Administration.

In 2005, an award was created in his memory: the Akhter Hameed Khan Memorial Award. This award is given every year on his birthday to a Pakistani author. It recognizes books about rural and urban development, peace, helping people out of poverty, or fighting against unfair treatment based on gender. In 2006, a documentary film about his life was shown for the first time. It included old videos and interviews with his family and people he helped.

The Akhter Hameed Khan Resource Centre was also set up in Islamabad. It collects books and digital materials about rural development. This center continues to build on his ideas, even experimenting with new urban development projects.

Organizations Inspired by or Started by Akhter Hameed Khan

• Comilla Cooperative Pilot Project (later renamed the Bangladesh Academy for Rural Development - BARD)
• The Aga Khan Rural Support Program (AKRSP)
• The National Rural Support Program (NRSP)
• The Rural Support Programs Network (RSPN)
• The Akhter Hameed Khan Resource Center (AHKRC)

Awards and Honours

Khan received several important awards:

• Jinnah Award (given after his death, in 2004) for his work with the Orangi Pilot Project.
• Nishan-e-Imtiaz (given after his death, in 2001) for his community service.
• Ramon Magsaysay Award (August 31, 1963, Manila, Philippines) for his work in rural development.
• Sitara-e-Pakistan (1961) for his pioneering work in rural development.

See also

In Spanish: Akhtar Hameed Khan para niños