ISLAMABAD: The German government has announced financial assistance for a Pakistani NGO to create public awareness of child abuse in the country. According to German ambassador Bernhard Schlagheck, his country’s Foreign Office funds a project of Samaaj to help sensitise people of Pakistan to recognise and prevent child abuse. He said he felt proud to collaborate with the dedicated members of Samaaj and was thankful to them for addressing a ‘pertinent and tabooed societal issue’. A representative of Samaaj said hers was a non-profit organisation, which was determined to create a better, more peaceful society through its engagement using creative expression. She hailed her NGO’s partnership with the German government on awareness of child abuse. “We are working on an extremely important initiative, which has always been very close to our hearts,” she said. Meanwhile, the German ambassador said in a tweet that his country was the largest bilateral contributor to the anti-coronavirus vaccine platform, COVAX (COVID-19 Vaccine Global Access). “Germany has provided 2.1 billion euros to finance vaccines for developing countries. Pakistan is among the 142 countries that will receive vaccine through the initiative soon,” the envoy said. COVAX, which is co-managed by three partner agencies, including Gavi, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations and the WHO, is the only global initiative that is working with governments and manufacturers to ensure COVID-19 vaccines are available worldwide to both higher-income and lower-income countries.