SINDHI ASSOCIATION OF NORTH AMERICA

Convention 1986

Niagara Falls

Second SANA Convention (July 4-5, 1986 - Niagara Falls)

The Second General Body meeting was held in the Niagara Falls/Buffalo area on July 4 and 5, 1986. The keynote speaker at this meeting was Dr. Feroz Ahmed, who spoke on how North American Sindhis can help their brothers and sisters back home. The key take-away from his presentation titled “Light the Torch” was that only Sindhis who live in Sindh can regain the ground they have lost, overseas Sindhis can only help them in these efforts. The SANA EC thanked Abdul Fateh Halepoto, who designed beautiful logo of SANA, Anwar Memon for contacting Mr. Halepoto and getting SANA pads printed, and Mrs. Parveen Laghari for bringing the pads with new logo to the USA. The SANA Treasurer issued financial statement for 1985 showing total receipts (membership fees, donations, etc.) of $ 1,1517.59 and total expenses of $409.75. With a small amount carried from 1984, the surplus stood at $1,221.09.
 

A session on strengthening was held in conjunction with the General Body meeting. Every one realized that to nourish SANA, whose membership was disbursed over the vast continent, had to be based on extensive consultation and democratic principles for decision making. The results of the Membership Survey conducted in November 1985 were reviewed at the session. The attendees were impressed with the extensive participation and the richness of suggestions for improvement. It was decided that the input from membership would be solicited on a regular basis by conducting regular membership surveys.

The session reaffirmed the key SANA objective that SANA ought to be nourished to become a single platform for all Sindhis to interact with each other and work together for protection of Sindhi heritage and Sindhi rights. Proposals to engage in intensive advocacy campaign with the US Executive and legislative branches on behalf of Sindhis were tabled at the meeting. The session also emphasized a strategy to form a strong alliance of Sindhi intellectuals, political minds. A 5-year plan to form a world congress of all Sindhi organizations was discussed.