Sajid Irfan

The Benazir Income Support Program (BISP) has appealed to the citizens to come forward and help expand its ongoing programs for the welfare of deserving children, reports WealthPK. The appeal was launched on the eve of the World Children's Day. The basic purpose of this day is to educate people about the needs of deserving children.

Pleading anonymity, an official of BISP told WealthPK that they provide scholarships to deserving students throughout Pakistan. He said there were two types of scholarship programs for the children: Benazir Nashonoma programme and Benazir Taleemi Wazaif programme.

He said that both the programs are conditional cash transfer programs. The children's health is the focus of Benazir Nashonoma, while Benazir Taleemi Wazaif program focuses on their education. He said the health programme financed basic needs like food, nutrition, and vitamins. The BISP is providing sachets of vitamins and minerals to the mothers and children to stay healthy.

The Benazir Taleemi Wazaif program meets the educational needs of the poor and deserving children in all districts of Pakistan. It is a conditional cash transfer programme for education of the children of BISP active Kafalat beneficiaries up to the higher secondary level. Through additional cash incentives, the beneficiaries are motivated to get their children enrolled in schools/colleges and discourage the dropout rate by ensuring retention.

He said under the Benazir Taleemi Wazaif Program, the deserving children were provided with services to get basic education. The girls are given special importance so that the poor parents can support their education.

He further said the government was also taking a keen interest in providing health and educational facilities to the children of the flood-affected families. Millions of children have been displaced by floods and are waiting for assistance. Health, education, and agriculture have been badly affected in the affected areas.

“Around 5 million people in the flood-hit Pakistan, including children, have contracted water-borne and vector-borne diseases. Hospitals, doctors and medicine are in short supply. The floods damaged the hospital buildings and infrastructure. The government is trying to meet the needs of the children of poor families but it is not enough; therefore, each and every citizen must help the children from poor backgrounds," he added.

According to the Federal Ministry of Education, almost 670,000 students have been affected by the flood. So, it is the duty of the government as well as of citizens and non-profit organizations to help the affected students in seeking education.

Credit : Independent News Pakistan-WealthPk