empathy
Most people are very neglectful when it comes to issues like animal rights and care. What they don’t realise is that all living beings - be it animals or plants - deserve to be treated with kindness. Also, caring for animals imparts many valuable learning experiences such as empathy, relationships, environment and nature. These important teachings are just few of the etiquettes that we require in this day and age.
Recently, Ayesha Chundrigar Foundation (ACF), Pakistan’s leading and pioneering animal rescue and rehabilitation organisation, organised a fundraising event at AQS Gardens in Islamabad. The fundraiser was spearheaded by Samar Hussain, Tanya Shah, Pasha Aslam, Komal Zahra Iftikhar, Xoya Abbasi, Zara Zaman Khan Afridi and Sam Chinoy. The event was headlined by a live musical performance by Uzair Jawal who was joined by other artists such as Nimra, Zain, Ali and Natasha Humera Ejaz. Some of the leading eateries from Islamabad also took part in the fundraiser and gave all their proceeds to ACF.
Attended by students, families and celebrities alike, the FUNdraiser featured a small sized petting zoo for the children to experience love and empathy by having close encounters with the animals. The children were ecstatic to say hi to the furry friends, bunnies and talking birds. A tumble soft area was designated for a stimulating sensory experience for the younger guests. Exclusive merchandise and a variety of pet accessories were available for the attendees to buy from. Animal themed crafts and cupcake decors were also available specially designed for the event.
Ayesha Chundrigar was very pleased and grateful on the turnout, which showed support for the ACF cause. She said, “It was truly a community effort filled with love, laughter, and fun. Deeply thankful to the brilliant fundraising committee that planned out everything with so much care and love and went above and beyond to make this event a reality This is hopefully the beginning of any more such events to raise awareness and give importance to animal welfare in our country.”
ACF is Pakistan’s first animal rescue shelter with 500 plus animals. It has been approved and certified by Pakistan Centre of Philanthropy (PCP) and i-Care Foundation. They have also won Green Innovation Challenge (GIC) organised by WWF- Pakistan. ACF has 50,000+ Active community members, grown organically. Ayesha believes in showing empathy to the neglected one, be it animals or humans, “Our Pakistani community is very kind and generous. They have opened their hearts to stop animal cruelty in our country by supporting empathy and compassion towards all living beings which is a vital example to set for our future generations,” she concluded.
––A. Jafri