Roland deSouza
Roland deSouza is a Professional Engineer and Partner and Principal Electrical Consultant of Fahim, Nanji & deSouza, a multi-disciplinary consulting firm based in Karachi, Pakistan.
Early life
He studied at St Patrick's High School, Karachi.[1] In 1973 he completed a B.E. (Electrical) degree from the NED University of Engineering and Technology, Karachi.
deSouza is an excellent musician. His family has lived in Karachi for more than a century. He lives in Garden East.[2]
Activism
From 1976 to 1979, he worked for a Christian social development organization in the Multan area and lived in a village near Mian Channu. [3]
He has spent a large part of his life advocating human rights, protection of the environment and creating public awareness regarding the rule of law. [3]
DeSouza chose to stay in Pakistan even while many others migrated. The reason was his belief that his presence would make a difference to his country.[3]
He is a council member of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP), and is the former chairman of Shehri - Citizens for a Better Environment (CBE), an advocacy group working for the improvement of environmental conditions in Karachi. [3] In 2012 deSouza is still an Executive Member of Shehri.[4]
Since 2011 he has been a contributor to The Express Tribune.[5]
He is also a member of the Executive Committee of the International Union for Conservation of Nature, Pakistan.[6]
In 2012 the Archbishop Emeritus of Karachi formed a committee for the restoration and preservation of the Monument to Christ the King. Menin Rodrigues was appointed as Project Head and Roland deSouza as the Technical Coordinator.
In July 2015, he was invited to join a discussion group of the city’s key planning minds to provide feedback on the Green bus-rapid transit line from Surjani Town to Quaid-e-Azam’s Mazar, one of nine lines mapped for the city.[7]
On April 16, 2016, he spoke at a seminar entitled ‘Deceased Organ Donation – Challenges and Solutions’, held at the Sindh Institute of Urology and Transplantation, where he and his wife became the first couple in Pakistan to donate their organs. Around 150,000 people die in Pakistan every year due to lack of donor organs.[8]
Professional memberships
- Pakistan Engineering Council (PEC)
- Institution of Electrical & Electronics Engineers, Pakistan (IEEEP)
- Institution of Engineers, Pakistan (IEP)
- Illumination Society of Pakistan (ISP)
- Indian Society of Lighting Engineers (ISLP)