Dubai: A fund-raiser organised by the Pakistan Association Dubai (PAD) for orphans hit by Taliban violence drew a good response from expatriates on Friday evening.
“There are more than 7,000 orphans in Pakistan’s Swat area. Their parents were killed during the Taliban occupation of the area in 2009. Although the area has since been liberated, the aftermath saw thousands of children orphaned and in critical need of care and support,” Mohammad Naeemullah, director of Parwarish Organisation, said at the event.
The event, aimed at raising money for the organisation included song, dance and comedy by eight Parwarish students. Among the attendees were donors whom the organisation endearingly calls the ‘Parwarish Family’ and Asif Durrani, Ambassador of Pakistan to the UAE.
Parwarish is a non-profit and donation-based group dedicated to children afflicted by Taliban attacks in Swat. The district was caught in the crossfire between the national army and Taliban as the terrorist group attempted to impose its rule, beheading and hanging people who defied them, demolishing girls’ schools, and closing down barber and music shops.
“We’ve already brought 230 orphans under the wing of Parwarish,” he said, “and we are aiming to bring in 25 more orphans every year, where we will provide them with accommodation and education. We need all the help we can get to go on expanding our organisation.”
Naeemullah said that Parwarish (which means ‘growth’) was set up in 2009 with a mission of empowering every enrolled child with the education and skills necessary to navigate through life and meet the challenges they may face along the way.
“We started out with just 40 children,” he said. “We’ve come a long way since then. We now have 230 children, including 62 girls, enrolled in our organisation. Our facilities and housing services have been designed carefully, keeping in mind the war-ravaged psyche of many of our children. We provide them with a secure environment, a wholesome diet, medical clinic and a great education system sustained by a qualified faculty. We have daily sports and co-curricular activities aimed at helping them grow creatively and physically.”
Irfan Mustafa, a Dubai-based businessman donor, said future plans include expansion of the facility to accommodate new children. “We’ve already acquired a piece of land to build the new facilities. There is still much work to be done as there are thousands of orphans who are still in critical need of support.”
Grade five student at the organisation, Madeeha, took to the stage during the event, showing no sign of timidity, announcing her ambition of becoming a doctor in perfect English. “I am going to be a doctor for the noble purpose behind it,” she said. “I will offer free treatment and medicine to the poor and educate them on the importance of daily hygiene.”
Faisal, a grade eight student, who also wants to become a doctor, expressed his appreciation of the Parwarish Organisation, which helped him overcome the horrors of war and lead some semblance of a normal life.
“The organisation has been fantastic, our teachers are our friends and our friends our teachers,” he said. “When I first arrived to the organisation, I was scared, I had witnessed some unspeakable events, but after a week or two, I began having faith in the organisation, I began having hope.”
Dr Zia Ul Hussain, President of PAD, said: “Whenever disasters have occurred in our country, our community has stood together to send help back home. One such disaster occurred in Swat in 2009, PAD requested help in establishing a boarding school for the affected children, especially those who have lost their parents. Together, with the community, PAD supported the establishment of Parwarish. Celebrating the seventh year of Parwarish is a matter of happiness.”
Dr Hussain added that the achievement would not have been possible without the approval of the Community Development Authority and agreement by both Emirates Red Crescent and the Department of Islamic Affairs to help transfer donations to Parwarish.
