Daily Times

To support some of the most vulnerable children, the Australian High Commission Wednesday joined Pehli Kiran Schools to distribute Iftar meals as well as stationery and learning materials for street children in the federal capital.

Australia’s High Commissioner Dr Geoffrey Shaw said that Ramazan is a time for charity and compassion and the high commission is pleased to support these children who are in need of some of life’s most basic necessities, such as food and tools for education.

He said that Australia’s investments in education help children, particularly girls, gain the skills they need to go on to further study and lead productive lives.

“Before the pandemic, 22 million school-aged children in Pakistan were out of school. Added household pressure due to Covid-19 has seen more children drop out and at risk of never returning. For children enrolled in school, prolonged school closures are impacting the quality of education. To harness the talents and potential of Pakistan’s young population, ensuring education for all is vital,” the high commissioner added.

Sabira Qureshi, founder of Pehli Kiran Schools, said that the schools have been providing quality primary education to out-of-school children for the last 25+ years. “We use a unique, low-cost model, which takes the school to the community, and moves with the community if it is evicted. We thank the Australian High Commission for their support to our Pehli Kiran students and appreciate their thoughtful gesture of serving Iftar and providing learning materials,” she added.

Pehli Kiran Schools is supporting more than 3,000 out-of-school street children, especially girls, through free and quality education. The initiative focuses on helping children from marginalised communities.