Procter and Gamble's partnership with Rural Education and Development Foundation (Read), and establishment of the first seismic compliant school in Gojra, Muzaffarabad was highly appreciated by Raja Zulqarnain Khan, President Azad Jammu and Kashmir as he inaugurated the 53 classroom school at a formal ceremony on Monday.
"I am thankful to the governments of all those countries who contributed towards rehabilitation efforts in the earthquake affected region and helped the victims to move on with their lives. It is a pleasure to see that under the P&G-Read Foundation partnership, a lot of children will again have a school to go to," said the AJK President.
The first school under the P&G - Read partnership has been established for boys and girls aged 4-16 years in main Muzaffarabad city, capital of Azad Jammu and Kashmir. The school has a capacity of over 800 students and has 84 faculty members in its operations.
"In addition to the financial assistance being provided for these seismic compliant schools. P&G employees have been personally involved in the project. We have had a work team of more than 30 people working for the past two weeks to decorate the classrooms of this school. Additionally, P&G employees have been involved with Read Foundation from the time of site selection, to construction and now, the formal inauguration ceremony. We are thankful to Raja Zulqarnain Khan, President Azad Jammu and Kashmir for being present here to inaugurate the first school of the P&G - Read partnership' said Syed Qaisar Shareef, Country Manager Procter and Gamble Pakistan at the occasion.
Under its partnership with Read Foundation P&G is donating cash and providing support to Read for building some of its schools. Total money pledged for this project by Procter and Gamble so far is approximately Rs 1 crore (US $160,000).
"P&G and Read Foundation's partnership in building sustainable seismic compliant schools in the earthquake area has been established under a project titled, 'Safe Schooling for Building Future'. The schools will be run by existing Read staff and they will take care of running the schools and fund its ongoing expenses. We are privileged by the fact that Raja Zulqarnain Khan, President Azad Jammu and Kashmir has presided over the inauguration of our school today", said Mehmood Ahmad, Chairman Read Foundation.
P&G Pakistan will participate in this rebuilding effort not just by donating money and monitoring progress but by actively involving its employees throughout the project as it has while decorating the classrooms of the first school structure.
Read Foundation is a not-for-profit civil society organisation focused in the filed of education. Read Foundation was formed in 1994 and is registered with Government of Pakistan and Azad Government of the Sate of Jammu and Kashmir.
Read Foundation has made an unprecedented progress and growth in past eleven years. Presently, Read Foundation is the largest educational NGO of rural Pakistan, having 323 schools, 2,450 trained teachers and 55,350 students, including 5,850 orphans who get free education.-PR