2000 kids vulnerable to child labour receive education at summer ­camps

MARDAN: Nearly 2000 deserving children vulnerable to child labour and exploitation received quality education besides engaging themselves in healthy extra-curricular activities at summer camps set up across two less-developed districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Idara Taleem-o-Agahi (ITA), a social welfare organisation, active in the provision of quality education and rehabilitation of neglected children, organised the summer camps at 21 government schools in Swabi and Mardan districts.

These children belonged to poor families of labourers, who work in agriculture farms for stressful hours, and were subjected to child labour at times during intense weather conditions in blatant disregard for their basic rights.

The summer camps project was supported by Philip Morris (Pakistan) Limited to promote inclusive and equitable education for underprivileged individuals and communities.

Providing the under-privileged children ample opportunities to get the quality education as well as polishing their extracurricular skills, the summer camps helped promote awareness among the children about the importance of education and their basic rights. Apart from regular academic studies, the children underwent orientation sessions underlining the importance of hygiene, geography, culture and heritage, arts and drama and other productive aspects of life.

They were engaged in different sports by taking part in positive physical activities essential for the mental nourishment and physical growth of children, the future of Pakistan, said a press release.

Before the launch of the summer camps, a six-day training workshop was organised especially for the training faculty to enable the teachers to disseminate the best initiatives among the deserving children and to guide them in becoming better human beings and citizens of Pakistan. The ITA’s Chief Executive Officer Baela Raza Jamil thanked the PMPKL for the contribution to the cause of promoting education for the deprived children.