PESHAWAR, Dec 27: All Pakistan Girl Guides Association is in dire need of government’s financial support as it needs funds to train school girls in all districts.

Speaking at the inauguration of the week-long Shield Course for the girl guides, Ms Surayya Usmani, deputy provincial commissioner and in charge of the association said on Friday that since 1962 the association was working on self-help basis, but financial support from  the  government would boost activities  of  the association.

Around 41 girl guides from different schools of Kohat, Mansehra,  Abbottabad, Haripur, Bannu,  Kalabat,  Shinkyari, Peshawar, Mardan and Charsadda participated in the course.

The girl guides displayed their hand-made decoration pieces, embroidered clothes, toys and many other items at their stalls which were made by the girl guides themselves.

“The girls not only learn to make hand-made items but they also learn about personal hygiene and mannerism,” Miss Saeeda Tabassum, a trainer told Dawn.

The association conducts summer and winter camps, which include education and training of the school girls about girl child rights, civil defence, first aid, women’s rights, community relationships, mannerism and household activities. These activities help in the character-building and education of the school girls, Ms Usmani said.

The Girl Guides House, where the courses and camps are held, is also used as  the provincial headquarter of the association. “The building was constructed with the donations,”

Miss Usmani said. A part of the building is now rented out to meet some the finances of the association.

There are only six trainers in the Girl Guide House. They are working on a pay-scale of a PTC teacher and they are paid by the association.

There is no allocation of funds for the training though girls come from all over the province but due to financial constraints the association can not increase trainers’ staff, Miss Usmani said.

The association has completed many projects in collaboration with the United Nations International Children Emergency Fund (Unicef) since 1995 in the education and health sector. In Swat and Mardan free medical camps were set up and around 600 school girls were medically examined free of cost. In another project funded by the Unicef, around 357 children were admitted to schools and girl guides motivated those children and their parents through an awareness campaign.