BackgroundHIVE is a youth-led social-impact organisation working to address issues of extremism and marginalisation in Pakistan.
ReachHIVE is a resource for civil society groups and social enterprises working to create a more inclusive, equal and peaceful Pakistan.
ImpactHIVE offers training, mentoring and networking opportunities to small community-based actors, and partners with field experts across Pakistan to promote dialogue on extremism and peacebuilding. They also bring together activists, entrepreneurs and artists on projects addressing local and national challenges.
HIVE is a youth-led social-impact organisation working to address issues of extremism and marginalisation in Pakistan, founded in 2015 through the merging of two of Pakistan’s largest youth organisations.
HIVE offers training, mentoring and networking opportunities to small community-based actors, and partners with field experts across Pakistan to raise awareness of and promote dialogue on extremism and peacebuilding. They also bring together activists, entrepreneurs and artists on projects addressing local and national challenges.
Targeted violence across and within religious groups is a key issue in Pakistan, with extremist groups playing a welfare role in marginalised areas. Nearby conflict in bordering communities has led to heightened disorder and the increased arrival of refugees. Since the Pakistani government declared terrorism to no longer be an issue, international assistance has significantly decreased.
The rise in violent religious extremism has particularly affected the Hazara community, who experience relentless attacks from extremist groups through bombings and targeted killings.
In 2022, HIVE funded an initiative to build an inclusive social space called Aman Chaupal for a community in Sandan Kallan, Pakistan. This space promotes open, intergenerational dialogue and strives to recognise the voices of marginalised communities, including religious minority groups and women. Since its creation, it has hosted diverse discussions and events. Lower-class villagers sit together with key local influencers to participate jointly in community discussions. For the first time in the village’s history, women were included, and women’s issues were discussed publicly.
Today, Aman Chaupal stands as a beacon of community strength. Its red brick structure complements the surrounding greenery, offering a cool, airy refuge in the sweltering summers. Deemed the “Palace of Sanda Kalan,” it has become a focal point for diverse gatherings and celebrations.
HIVE has also supported a youth initiative promoting religious tolerance in Karachi, Sindh, which brought secular and Islamic school students together to engage in healthy debate. The project built bridges across ideological differences, as young people listened to new perspectives and had healthy disagreements that did not escalate to intolerance or exclusion. The initiative also formed a network of 25 student ambassadors from 10 educational institutions, who will work together to promote interfaith dialogue and tolerance.
In 2023, consolidating a decade of learning, HIVE launched Community Innovation Lab (CIL) which is a collaborative action-learning space that examines, incubates, and catalyses innovative solutions to complex social problems at the community level. CIL provides on-demand support using a flexible and adaptive methodology to local actors across Pakistan.
Peace Direct has partnered with HIVE since 2019 as part of our flexible funding programme for grassroots peacebuilders (the Local Action Fund), HIVE identifies grassroots peacebuilders and provides small grants that support them to create and deliver their own local peacebuilding initiatives.
Learn more about Hive on their website, about their Community Innovation Lab and on social media: Twitter/Facebook.
