By Elaine Alam | Secretary General / Project Leader
Peace School for Afghan Refugees and Host Communities
Report – May 2018
Abida is the student of class 2 and has been studying in Peace School since 2016. Her father is a mason and her mother and elder sister have to work as housemaids. All her 3 brothers go to Peace School with her. Abida lives in Akram Park which is located near the Saggian landfill site and provide shelter to Pakistani host communities as well as Afghan refugees who decided to settle in Lahore for better employment opportunities.
In last three months she saw some refreshing developments in her community. A truck from Lahore Waste Management Company came to her Akram Park and cleaned up all the solid waste that had piled up there for years. Her father claims that they waste had been there for almost 30 years and no one had bothered to remove it from the residential areas of Akram Park and Manzoor Park. This initiative was taken by the school administration to provide best and healthy learning environment to their students. Abida and her brothers now feel more motivated and willing to work hard for their better future. Her parents are also hopeful and cooperative and wish to see their children progress.
In Pakistan Afghan refugees frequently face discrimination in health facilities as doctors hesitate to attend and admit them in their hospitals and clinics. To support them a health camp was also organized for families of Afghan refugee children of Peace School in Manzoor Park in collaboration with District Health Department Lahore. Free health check-ups and free medicines were provided to male, female and children in the community. Water borne diseases are common in the area as local water supply from groundwater is contaminated. Therefore, most of the cases appeared were related to diarrhoea, abdominal discomfort and skin problems. In absence of any medicine, the patients were referred to the local government hospital. The communities were relieved to see such initiatives and hoped that such efforts will continue in future.
A remodelled mobile library van also visited Peace Schools. The van was equipped with a wide range of reading material to improve literacy rate in Pakistan. The school teachers read different stories based on value education and human rights to their children. Abida along with her class fellows also used art supplies and computers in the vehicle and expressed their creative skills. The books and colour pencils were distributed among the children and their hand impressions were printed on one side of the van.
Women’s Day was also celebrated at Peace Schools not with children but with their mothers instead. Mothers of school children were engaged in an interactive session on Women’s Day. The school teachers discussed the rights and responsibilities of mothers as a human being and how these can shape the future of their children. The teachers motivated these women by informing them about their social and economic contribution in managing their homes and their communities overall. Abida’s mother also attended the session. She felt encouraged and gave further suggestions on the ways she can improve her impact in society.
Now the new term has started and our 1050 students need new uniforms, bags and books. Our current fundraising campaign is focusing on providing these basic needs of these students.
By Elaine Alam | Secretary General
By Elaine Alam | Secretary General
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