Jimmy Engineer shares thought-provoking ideas of his life experiences

Islamabad

Renowned artist and philanthropist, Jimmy Engineer participated in an event on Wednesday to mark the launch of SPARC Talk, which is a series of motivational talks that will be periodically conducted with renowned personalities.

The event was held a day after Jimmy Engineer inaugurated SPARC’s fifth Centre for Street Children (CSC) in Islamabad established with the support of local philanthropists and Air Trust. The newly inaugurated centre in Waheed Abad, Islamabad has extended the outreach of SPARC’s CSC initiative, which already has CSCs in Rawalpindi, Multan, Hyderabad and Peshawar. These centres offer non-formal education, vocational training, and psychosocial support for marginalized and out of school children.

Speaking at the event, Jimmy Engineer appreciated the efforts of SPARC for promoting child rights, and hoped that the new Centre for Street Children will help improve the lives of poverty stricken children in the area. As per a rapid assessment carried out by SPARC before the project was launched, a large number of beggars and children engaged in child labour in an around ICT come from the vicinity of the slum area where the centre is now located.

In his motivational speech, he shared thought-provoking ideas based on his personal life experiences. He talked about how he miraculously survived a terminal disease as a child, dedicating his life in the cause of God thereafter. He discussed the plight of special children and shared his experience of walking from Karachi to Peshawar in 1994, and how he stayed on the streets and was supported along his journey by different people who showed immense kindness. He shared about what he explored on the streets of Pakistan and the harsh realities he learned regarding the life of the poor and downtrodden along the way.

Sadia Hussain, Executive Director of SPARC, expressed her gratitude for Jimmy. She spoke about the need for more endeavors like SPARC Talk, where inspirational speakers can get the much needed space for addressing key issues plaguing our society, and propose suitable solutions.

The launching ceremony of SPARC Talk met with overwhelming enthusiasm from participants from all walks of life. SPARC announced holding periodic events with motivational speakers.