Orange Tree Foundation to raise funds for education of poor children

KARACHI: The Orange Tree Foundation organized a carnival at the Hockey Stadium in Khadda Market, Defence to raise funds for the education of poor children. A large number of stalls at the carnival were put up by ladies. The event provided them a platform to market their products and businesses and to contribute towards the economic well-being of their households.

The Carnival hosted one particularly interesting stall. This stall was set up by the Citizens for a Clean Karachi (C.C.K) - a group of women volunteers working on a self-help basis to rid Karachi of the single-use plastic bags’ menace.

The group is particularly focused on creating awareness against the excessive usage of plastic bags or shoppers as they cause long term environmental damage. They are working to promote the use of cloth/ canvas bags as a more environment friendly alternative.

Single-use plastic bags have many disadvantages. They are: * dangerous for all life forms whether human, animal or plant; * toxic if burnt and release fumes that cause diseases such as cancer; * detrimental to fertility of agricultural soil; * often found blocking gutters and drains; * a traffic hazard as empty bags sometimes fly out of nowhere onto vehicles, obstructing visibility.***