RAWALPINDI, April 17: There are as many as 423 Non-Government Organizations (NGOs) in Rawalpindi registered with the Social Welfare Department.

A breakdown of these NGOs shows that there are 48 NGOs on health. Vocational centres for women top the list of these NGOs.

The number of the vocational centres stands at 120. In the sphere of education, there are in all 20 community development centres. There are eight organizations working solely for keeping the environment free of pollution. Eight organizations are working in the field of disability.

None of these NGOs is foreign-funded. By and large, these NGOs generate funds according to their charter and thus meet their expenses. The NGOs are overseen by the coordination bodies set up by the Social Welfare Department, and secondly by their own collective councils.

The Social Welfare Department has instituted its own projects. The most important project run by the department is the one dealing with the abandoned babies in the hospitals. In Rawalpindi city, the department had the first such centre which was called Gahwara.