ABBOTTABAD, May 19: USAID Director in Pakistan Jonathan Addleton has said that the government and people of the United States are happy to take part in the quake-affected reconstruction activities in the areas of Pakistan and the Azad Jammu and Kashmir.

He was speaking at the groundbreaking ceremony of the Government Boys Model High School and Government Girls Middle School in Daadar village of Seron valley in Mansehra district on Friday.

Gul-i-Afshan, Assistant Livelihood Manager of the World Vision Pakistan, spoke about the clearance of rubble of the high school by the organisation under a ‘cash for work’ project in nine days by 40 community members and its reconstruction by USAID.

USAID Deputy Secretary for Foreign Assistance Randall Tobias said US President George Bush had pledged to help in the reconstruction in any way he could.

He said many education and health institutions in the region had to be reconstructed.

Earthquake Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Authority Deputy Chairman Lt-Gen Nadeem Ahmad said the government and all international agencies would take part in the reconstruction work and people would benefit from it.

US Ambassador Ryan Crocker, NWFP Health Minister Maulana Fazali Ali and Mansehra District Nazim Sardar Mohammad Yousaf also spoke.

Silence for one minute was observed in memory of the school’s student Mian Ishfaaq, who had lost his life in the earthquake, and other victims.

Lt-Gen Ahmed suggested that the school be renamed as Mian Ishfaaq boys model high school.