ISLAMABAD: Mari Petroleum Company Ltd organised an event to designate an Ambassador for its CSR project of Inclusive Education “Noor E Sehar School” established and run by MPCL through “Special Talent Exchange Programme (STEP)”in Tehsil Daharki, District Ghotki, Sindh.

The event was held on 17 June 2022 at MPCL’s Head Office, in Islamabad. The event was attended by MPCL Leadership and senior management. The event was attended by many officials from British Council, Pakistan Poverty Alleviation Fund, AAR Japan, Planning Commission, National Training Centre for Special Persons (NTCSP), Christan Blindon Mission (CBM), media personnel?

The event started with the tribute given by MPCL management to Lieutenant General Ishfaq Nadeem (Late), the man behind the idea of establishing a school for children suffering from multiple disabilities.

MPCL CSR Team Lead Huma Zafar shared MPCL’s concept of sustainability and its values which emphasize on running core business while taking care of all stakeholders’ expectations to achieve sustainable development, inclusivity and environmental sustainability. It was highlighted that:

• MPCL has aligned all social investments and interventions with UN SDGs 2030 and will establish partnerships with social enterprises sharing the common values.

• In line with Paris Agreement for climate change, MPCL shall endeavour to make green investments in the areas of its working interests, and

• MPCL is the only oil and gas company which has made significant investment in the field of inclusive education for disabled children by establishing “Noor E Sehar”, a state of the art school for children with disabilities.

Afterwards, MPCL’s Director CSR Brigadier Asad Raza (retired) comprehensively briefed the audience about company’s CSR commitments, investments and social impact it is creating on the society. He highlighted the fact that in line with its goal of community development, MPCL has contributed more than PKR 8.5 billion towards its CSR program. He shed light on various high impact CSR initiatives the company has undertaken and MPCL’s commitment to continue to do so in all of its areas of operation.

Atif Sheikh, STEP’s Executive Director shared his life experiences and challenges as a person with disability. He expressed his gratitude to MPCL’s leadership in supporting STEP for establishing “NOOR E SEHAR”, a school for children with disability at Daharki. The event continued with the signing certificate of collaboration between STEP and MPCL by MD MPCL and Executive Director STEP, to designate Abia Akram as MPCL’s first CSR Ambassador for Inclusive Education.

Abia Akram, who is a disability rights activist in Pakistan and abroad is the founder of the National Forum of Women with Disabilities in Pakistan. She was named as one of the BBC’s 100 Women in 2021 and appointed as trustees of Sight Saver on its Board in the UK. Abia thanked MPCL for honouring her achievements and appointing her as MPCL’s Ambassador for inclusive education. She expressed that the honour is a big responsibility for which she is ready to play a positive significant role. Abia assured to project the right cause of inclusive education in mainstreaming the children with disability to make them a productive segment of our society.

The ceremony ended with the closing remarks given by Managing Director MPCL, Faheem Haider who alluded to the significance of social responsibility in today’s global landscape. While speaking to the audience, he shared that being a B2B company and with limited exposure with the end users of the energy we produce, MPCL holds itself responsible towards the communities it operates in, towards our society, towards health of our planet and towards our shareholders to generate and maintain a sustainable business. He further said that sustainability at MPCL means that we are committed towards country to explore and develop energy resources responsibly while making positive contributions towards communities and environment while creating value for all of our stakeholders. Faheem Haider also emphasized the need for economic development that fulfills the needs of present generation without compromising the needs of future generations. Towards the end, he reiterated the commitment that together we can reach the destination of triple bottom line, “where people grow, profits are secured and planet is saved”.

Managing Director MPCL, Faheem Haider and Atif Sheikh, STEP’s Executive Director signing the MoU regarding Noor e Sehar School for special children.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2022