Kid philanthropists reach out

Students paint, create for flood-affected children.

LAHORE:

“I love painting. I want to send my paintings to all the kids who do not have schools,” Hafsa, a six-year-old, said while painting a canvas during Tools for Schools, a charity activity organised by the Rafi Peer Theatre on Sunday.

Elementary and middle school students from around the city gathered at the Cathedral Secondary School, Girja Chowk, Cantt to participate in activities like painting, origami, clay modeling, decoration and furniture painting. The students’ creations will be sent to schools in the flood affected areas.

Sadaan Peerzada, one of the organisers, said that the event aimed at encouraging students’ creativity. “The event will help end differences between the privileged and the unprivileged children. It will certainly teach children to share love and happiness with those in need,” he said. Further, he said, the activities are themselves a learning experience for the students.

The kids were divided into three groups: pavilion A for students of grades one and two, pavilion B for grades three and four and pavilion C for grades five to seven.

Students in pavilion A were given the task of painting canvas, board frames, letter cuttings and planting flowers in small pots. Third and fourth graders painted flower pots and labelled maps of Pakistan, and the third group of older students was taught paper origami, clay modeling, desk painting and other decorations by student of the National College of Arts (NCA).The children also made models of animals, automobiles and characters from fiction using coloured paper and painted Pakistan flags.

Later some parents also joined the children to write messages on a mural.

Sarah Shahid, an NCA student, said that the only thing she felt missing from the event was the presence of the children from the affected schools. “This is an excellent way to make the kids realise their responsibility towards their fellow citizens and the importance of helping,” she said. Dr Nasir Khan, a visitor, said that such activities played an important role in the growth of a child’s character and morals. Towards the end of the day, the children made video recordings of their messages for the flood- affected children.Tools for Schools will also be conducted in Faisalabad, Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Sialkot, Multan, Hyderabad and Karachi.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 4^th,  2011.