University students launch ‘safe charity’ campaign

Youths and students belonging to various universities have kicked off their ‘safe charity’ awareness campaign in the city, maintained a statement issued on Thursday.

These peace champions belonged to the Institute of Business Administration, University of Karachi, Nadirshaw Edulji Dinshaw University and the Institute of Business Management.

The students have made use of banners, fliers, panaflexes, rickshaw flexes, car posters, stickers and key chains to convey their public awareness messages.

The campaign will specifically target businessmen in the markets of Gulshan-e-Iqbal, Bahadurabad, Tariq Road, DHA, North Nazimabad and Saddar, observed Bargad Executive Director Sabiha Shaheen during the second policy dialogue held on charity for goodness.

The dialogue was organised by Bargad – a youth development organisation - at a hotel.

The panellists at the policy dialogue lauded efforts of the youth campaign to promote the message of safe charity on streets and roads and through shop-to-shop visits in markets of located in the city’s two districts.

The campaign is part of a project titled 'Charity for Goodness' to engage the youth in a noble cause so that charity reaches those deserving of it.

In May, a panel discussion on safe charity, which was co-organised by the IBA, Karachi, and the Bargad Organisation for Youth Development at the G&T Auditorium, IBA’s main campus, had called for donating money to charities which took up worthy  causes as well as for ensuring money was utilised to strengthen Pakistan.

The seminar provided a thought-provoking forum on the merits of safe charity and a stimulating interaction between IBA students and the abovementioned charity organisations.

The host emphasised the importance and impact of charity on Pakistan and the whole community. In view of the approaching month of Ramazan, everyone was urged to not only donate to charities which took up worthy causes but also to ensure that the money was utilised to strengthen and not make Pakistan worse.

Moderating the session, an associate professor of the IBA, Dr Huma Baqai, spoke about the scholarship opportunities offered by the organisation to individuals who planned to pursue their studies abroad and then return to Pakistan to serve the nation.

The panel discussion was based on the ground reality that “Pakistan has an annual charity contribution of around 650 billion, which is not properly utilised” and the biggest contributor was Karachi. An discussion ensued on how this significant amount could be efficiently utilised to benefit the underprivileged and to contribute towards strengthening Pakistan.  —APP/News Desk