Sponsors' update (part 1)
22/11/2007
Victims of the earthquake that hit north Pakistan in 2005 are still a high priority for our colleagues in Pakistan. Ours is the only organization authorised by the Government of Pakistan to admit orphans and we have plans to establish projects in the quake affected areas:
32 children are being cared for at the SOS Emergency Shelter in Lahore.
3 children have moved to Life Care in Lahore, which is an organisation that specifically helps children with special needs.
5 children who could not be reunited with their families have been given a loving family in the SOS Children’s Village in Rawalpindi.
72 children are at the new SOS Emergency Shelter in Rawalpindi.
12 young adults are being supported at the SOS Youth Home in Rawalpindi.
23 children are at the new SOS Children’s Village in Sialkot.
51 children are at the new SOS Emergency Shelter in Dhodial, NWFP
3 children who could not be reunited with their families have been given a loving family in the SOS Children’s Village in Faisalabad
72 children were reunited with their extended families.
In the latest news from Pakistan Mrs. Souriya Anwar, President of SOS Children’s Villages in Pakistan writes: The aftermath of the earthquake is still our top priority as we continue to give help to those children made orphans by the earthquake. We presently have about 300 children housed in SOS Emergency Shelters in Lahore, Rawalpindi and Dhodial and in the SOS Children’s Villages in Rawalpindi, Dhodial and Sialkot. More children are steadily coming in and we anticipate a huge influx once we are able to establish projects in Azad Jammu and Kashmir.
The SOS Children’s Village and Community School, which we had built in Muzaffarabad, prior to the earthquake, are very near the epicentre of the earthquake. A major fault-line runs right through the project. Six of the original fifteen family homes are habitable and will be used as a Youth Home. We plan to rebuild a High School for boys on this site and establish the Village, an SOS Primary School and an SOS Secondary School for girls at another location.
We are also planning to build SOS Children’s Villages with Youth Homes and SOS Schools in Islamabad, Rawalakot and Bakrial in the North West Frontier Province. We have received some generous offers of help in the construction of these projects and are awaiting allocation of land. We have assurances from all concerned that our request for land will receive high priority and hope that this will soon be finalised so that we can proceed with our plans. In the meantime, the children are adjusting well to their new surroundings and amaze us all by their resilience. British Airways staff are taking a keen interest in the Emergency Programme and crew members have been visiting the children. They have raised funds for a family home in the planned SOS Village in Islamabad and have also donated a minibus, office equipment and stationery items.
We have also received reports from each of the SOS Children’s Villages in Pakistan. Here are some of the edited highlights:
In Lahore, the annual reunion of former SOS children was held in March and this year there was a large turnout with wives and husbands of SOS children and over 60 ‘grandchildren’, who visited the homes to spend time with their ‘families’. The children were told about Mother’s Day in May and encouraged to express their gratitude to their ‘mothers’. They made cards and contributed their pocket money to buy flowers and gifts for their SOS Mothers who were overwhelmed and deeply moved by these gestures. During the summer a large number of students volunteer to work with the children and, besides helping them with their holiday homework, also organise many extra-curricular activities. They took them on outings and, at the end of the holiday, hosted a big party leaving them with many happy memories. Scouting remains a favourite activity and groups of scouts have participated in a local camp as well as those held in Islamabad and Karachi. This is an exciting and valuable learning experience for them and they acquire many new skills. Along with all this activity there is great stress on the children’s education. The matriculation examination results, with a 100% pass percentage, were a matter of pride. The Intermediate results were also good and one of the girls who passed the B.Com examination has enrolled in the MBA programme. The annual SOS Walk, to raise funds for the school, was held in December. As usual, the Governor Punjab generously hosted a party for the participants and the children enjoyed refreshments and entertainment by a musical group and performers of the Lucky Irani Circus. (cont.)
Relevant Countries: Pakistan.