PBM launches Orphans and Widows Support Programme to encourage girl education

KARACHI: Pakistan Bait-ul-Mall, on Monday, launched Orphans and Widows Support Program aimed at grant of monthly financial assistance to orphan girls for their education.

Phase I of the Orphans and Widows Support Programme (OWSP) was launched here at Art Council of Pakistan Karachi in a ceremony attended by Central President PPP women Wing and Member Sindh Assembly Faryal Talpur, Managing Director Pakistan Bait-ul-Mall Amir Fida Paracha and Senator Waqar Mehdi.

Chairperson National Assembly Standing Committee on Industries and Production Shahida Rehmani, Sindh Labour Minister Saeed Ghani, Members Sindh Assembly Sadia Javiad, Qasim Siraj Soomro, Suhail Anwer Sial and others were also present at the occasion.

Faryal Talpur, speaking at the ceremony appreciated efforts of PBM for assistance of deserving and destitute persons and said that first ever social protection initiative for orphan girls, OWSP, would encourage the women who wished to educate their girls.

She said that acquiring education was a fundamental right of children particularly the girls so that they could be able to become financially empowered and get a respectable status in the society by getting education and pursuing a career.

She urged all the widows to take benefit of the program by getting registered with PBM and receive monthly stipend to fulfill dream of educating their girls.

Pakistan Peoples Party has always striven for the rights and welfare of marginalised segments of the society particularly women, Faryal Talpur said adding that Shaheed Benazir Bhutto started Lady Health Worker’s program while her vision of a social security network for women was materialised by former president Asif Ali Zardari as Benazir Income Support Program.

Provision of 25 acres agriculture land to women in Sindh, landmark legislation on prohibition of minor age marriages and women rights were some other important measures of PPP aimed at women empowerment and emancipation, she further added.

The incumbent PPP Sindh government was all set to launch ‘Pink Taxi’ service in the province that would not only provide a safer transport facility to female but it would also prove an innovative source of livelihood for women folk, Faryal Talpur said.

She said that Islam stressed on helping orphans and persons in distress and need and PPP was following the teachings of Islam and its principals of equality of human being.

Managing Director Pakistan Bait ul Mal, Amir Fida Paracha, briefed that under the OWSP each beneficiary household would receive monthly stipend of Rs.8000 for one child and Rs.12000 for two children to support education of orphan girls.

He said that PBM was running sweat homes across the country where orphan boys were being provided with all necessary facilities and now an initiative was taken to facilitate the orphan girls.

He also stressed on the need of focusing on orphan girls so that those girls get education and play their role in upbringing and training of upcoming generations.

Earlier, Faryal Talpur, handed over cash assistance amount to beneficiaries of Orphans and Widows Support Program while she also distributed sewing machines among the position holder women of PBM vocational centre.