Fundraiser set to foster hope, funds for hospice

Hosted at the Nomad gallery, the event will have crafts workshops, live music, exhibition etc.

ISLAMABAD:

A fundraiser weekend will kick off at the Nomad Centre and Gallery on Saturday (today) for the uplift of St Joseph’s Hospice in Rawalpindi, which is in dire straits. The two-day event will feature handicrafts workshops, live instrumental music, a crafts store, food and drinks at the Aman café, talks, presentations and a collective exhibition of paintings and photography in the main gallery, concluding with a documentary film screening.

“The idea is to welcome people to support the activity and donate for the cause. Everyone is invited to bring their families along. We are doing this in the spirit of giving back, as well as highlighting the vibrant arts and culture of the country,” said the gallery owner Nageen Hyat. The session will also serve as an ice-breaker for the upcoming classes and workshops at the centre.

Registration

Guests can participate in the workshops, talks and documentary screening by making a donation of Rs5,000 and selecting slots accordingly. The registration deadline has been extended from 11am to 5pm on Saturday.

Workshops

Naeem Alam, a young graduate of the National College of Arts Rawalpindi (NCA) will conduct a printmaking workshop at 11am. Riffat Khattak will conduct a handmade paper and pottery workshop at 12am. N.H. Kazmi, miniature painter will conduct a papier mache workshop at 2pm. Visual artist and designer Zia Zaidi will conduct a puppetry workshop at 3pm. Actor and television host Sadia Hayat Khan will conduct an acting workshop with emphasis on confidence-building and presenting at 4pm. The Paper Miracles team will conduct a bead-making workshop at 5pm.

Presentations

On Sunday, Nsir Malik, former head of NCA, will conduct a presentation on multimedia and calligraphy at 12pm. Photographer and teacher Azhar Hafeez will showcase select works from his project visits to Swat, tribal areas through a slide show. Hafeez will conduct photography classes. Adeel Shahzad will present a documentary and presentation at 3pm and will conduct video production courses. Researcher Reza Naeem will give a lecture on the Arab Spring and its geo-political impact at 4pm.

A 40-minute documentary on “Rediscovering Greater Chitral - the Greek Influence and Lifestyles of the Kalasha” will be screened at 5pm.

Background of the hospice

Located in Westridge, St. Joseph’s Hospice provides treatment and rehabilitation facilities free-of-charge to paralysed, chronically-ill or destitute patients who have been abandoned by their families or refused admission by other hospitals.

The hospice was founded by an Irish missionary in 1962 and later, a German institution named Misereor volunteered to bear the building expenses. It has been run by the Franciscans of Mary with the assistance of 14 Pakistani nurses. However, the hospice has been in a financial turmoil following the 9/11 attacks, as major international donors curbed their funding. Although the management tried to run its affairs utilising its savings and individual funding sources, it could not sustain and are now pressed for funds.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 18^th, 2014.