Zubair Qureshi
Under its Orphan Sponsor Programme, The Secours Islamique France (SIF) organized a puppet show at the Pakistan National Council of Arts (PNCA) for the recreation and awareness of the children about their rights and protection. These children are mostly from sponsored orphan families in Rawalpindi and Islamabad.
Speaking on the occasion, Head of Mission SIF Pakistan Dr Altaf Abro said the puppet show organized under the orphan sponsorship programme (OSP) was not only to entertain children but also to relay messages highlighting the importance of education, especially for girls, skills development for youth and children’s rights and protection in general. Founded in 1991, SIF is an international non-Governmental solidarity Organization acting in the fields of humanitarian and development sectors, he said. Working in the field for over 30 years, SIF is now active in more than twenty countries, mainly in sectors including Water and Sanitation (WASH), Food Security & Livelihoods (FSL), Education, and Child Protection. SIF has been present in Pakistan since 2010.
The programme was attended by a large number of children, their guardians and extended families, SIF staff and volunteers. All the participants appreciated the programme and efforts of the SIF in arranging such a delightful and informative programme. The participants stressed that in future such programmes should also be organized on a regular basis for grooming the children and creating a healthy & vibrant society in Pakistan.
Dr Altaf Abro said Secours Islamique France (SIF) is implementing an Orphan Sponsorship Programme in Islamabad and Rawalpindi at the community level, target group of the programme are vulnerable orphan families which are targeted for the provision of stipend to support the education of the orphan children in addition to awareness raising to the sponsored families regarding child rights and protection.
SIF is currently supporting 683 orphan children in Islamabad, Rawalpindi and Tharparkar, he said adding in order to enable vulnerable families to afford their children’s education, SIF provides cash assistance every year. SIF also provides livelihood support to sponsored families through vocational training programmes, apprenticeship, enterprise development assistance and livestock support.
