Art and Photography Exhibition for Machar Colony: Community Driven Development Project
In the summer of 2006, CFC organized a summer internship program which brought art students to the Mohammadi Machar Colony katchi abadi (slum area), who facilitated art workshops for the community’s children. The children created over 250 pieces. On Friday, September, 1st 2006 CFC held an art and photography exhibition at the Alliance Francaise in an effort to raise awareness and funds for the Mohammadi (Machar) Colony Community Driven Development Project. The event displayed artwork created in the Internship program. Each painting or photography piece was priced at RS 2,000 and displayed an excerpt stating statistics about this community.
Karachi’s Naib Nazim, Ms. Nasreen Jalil was the Chief Guest for the event. All proceeds from the sale of the exhibition have been used as seed money for launch of the Education and Public Health Initiatives in the Mohammadi Colony: Community Driven Development Project.
Public Health and Education Launch in Machar Colony
In line with the Mohammadi Colony: Community Driven Development Project’s long term objective, CFC has introduced the Public Health Initiative and Project Kitab in this community in an effort to move towards the provision of a holistic approach to community development. The Public Health Initiative will provide training, using an empowerment based approach to the para-medical clinics in the community. The Project Kitab Initiative will work toward teacher/administrative training, syllabus review and infrastructure support for the pre existing schools within the community.
3rd Annual Football Fundraiser
CFC will hold its 3rd Annual Football Fundraiser on Saturday, March 1, 2008 at the DHA Football Stadium on Khayaban-e-Rahat. This match is being played amongst teams from selected schools in Karachi. Tickets are priced at RS 250, with the presiding chief guests of the evening being students from selected schools in Machar Colony. All proceeds from the event are plowed directly into CFC’s Mohammadi Machar Colony: Community Driven Development Project. The 2008 Match is being sponsored by Djuice.
Kashmir Project Funding
In May 2006, CFC received project funding from AusAID for its Kashmir based Mental Health Project. Later the same month, the Australian High Commission granted CFC additional funding through its Direct Aid Program for CFC’s Mother Child Health Center and Education Project, Project Kitab in the Bandi Chakkan village in AJK.
CFC Kashmir Office
Following CFC’s consistent involvement in Azad Jammu Kashmir following the October 2005 earthquake, on June 1, 2006 Concern for Children Trust opened the doors of its Kashmir office. The office is located in the village of Dhani Baqala in the Hattian Bala tehsil. This office coordinates all of CFC’s Kashmir based projects in Mental Health, Education and Healthcare.
Public Advocacy
In line with its strategic goals, CFC has succesfully launched the Public advocacy component of its program in late 2006-early 2007. CFC will begin its advocacy practice/s with the land lease issue for the squatter settlement of Machar Colony and public.
