RAWALPINDI, Nov 7: The government is all set to present a bill regarding lawmaking for the rights of children during the ongoing session of the National Assembly, the adviser to the prime minister on women development, Nilofar Bakhtiar, said on Friday.

She said this while talking to mediapersons during her visit to the SOS Children Village. Decision regarding presentation of the bill had been taken in Friday’s meeting of the committee.

She said since November 20 would be observed as Universal Children Day, the government had decided to hold a grand function for children in the Convention Centre. Schoolchildren from all over the country would participate and perform at the function. Like that of women, she said, the government was also determined to launch a massive campaign for the rights of children.

Earlier, during her speech, Ms Bakhtiar appreciated the services of SOS villages across the country and said the ministry of social welfare along with National Commission for Child Rights was willing to interact SOS and other NGOs for bringing a positive change in the social structure.

The adviser said Pakistan Baitul Maal (PBM) would bear the expenses of all those SOS students who wanted to get higher education. Besides, SOS students could get free medical facilities from all government hospitals and the PBM would pay for their hospital bills. The PBM could pay those hospital bills up to Rs300,000 per patient, she added.

She also distributed gifts among all SOS students and donated Rs28,000 from her own pocket to the organization. A number of other philanthropists also donated money on the occasion.

Highlighting the achievements of the SOS Village here, member of the organization’s executive committee Ms Tabassum said within the short period of 13 years they had established 20 family homes housing 176 orphan children and a youth hostel which accommodated 42 boys.

As many as 218 orphans and abandoned children were residing there at present, she said. While, they had also succeeded in constructing an administration block, a mosque and a Quranic centre on the village premises.

Ms Tabassum said they had also initiated some community- oriented projects including SOS Hermann Gmeiner High School for 250 students, SOS Hermann Gmeiner Nursery School for 100 students and SOS Technical Training School for 90 students.

The technical school, she said, provided skills in air conditioning and refrigeration, radio and television and motor rewinding. They had also established a dispensary where part-time doctors and full-time nurses were available.

Ms Tabassum said they had recently established SOS School of Automobile Engineering that would cater for 60 students. The SOS children and the children of the surrounding villages could get diplomas from there.

As many as 14 girls, she said, had been married from SOS Village and they were living happily in their own homes.

Similarly, 44 boys had left SOS-Care after completing their education and were working with various organizations, she added.

Four batches from the SOS Technical Training School had already been awarded certificates, she said.

Ms Tabassum said they were totally relying on Zakat, charity and donations and appealed to philanthropists to come forward and help the needy.