Pakistani gets award for voluntary service

British High Commissioner Dr Christian Turner presented the Commonwealth Point of Light Award to Hamza Farrukh at a ceremony where he was recognised as the 129th recipient in honour of his exceptional voluntary service providing clean water to local communities in Pakistan.

Farrukh runs a charitable project ‘Bondh E Shams’ (droplets of sunshine) which is serving over 45,000 people across 13 remote Pakistani villages through an environmentally-friendly, solar-powered water extraction and filtration system.

High Commissioner Turner said: “I am delighted to present Hamza Farrukh with the Commonwealth Points of Light Award for his exceptional voluntary service and ingenuity in helping to provide safe drinking water to tens of thousands of Pakistanis. Her Majesty, the Queen, has recognised Mr Hamza as Pakistan’s Point of Light for delivering a significant impact on the lives of others.”

Hamza Farrukh said: “At Bondh E Shams, we have promised to take on the global water crisis; lack of access to safe water in large swaths of developing nations is symptomatic of the numerous structural disadvantages faced by the global south. My team and I realise the responsibility we have towards the 1.2 billion people who go to bed thirsty each night and are dedicated to this lifelong fight.”

German embassy honours Dr Schmotzer

German Ambassador Bernhard Schlagheck awarded Director of the Rawalpindi Leprosy Hospital Dr Chris Schmotzer with the Order of Merit on behalf of the German Federal President in a ceremony held at the German embassy.

Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Health Dr Faisal Sultan attended the ceremony and commended the work of Dr Schmotzer, who has served the people of Pakistan for 33 years, offering treatment to patients with leprosy, tuberculosis, eye and skin diseases as well as rehabilitation measures.

Dr Schmotzer is a member of the German Protestant Sisterhood of Christ Bearers, who came to Pakistan shortly after finishing her medical studies in 1988. Since then, she has contributed to fight leprosy and tuberculosis in Pakistan. She also closely collaborated with Dr Ruth Pfau and the Marie Adelaide Leprosy Centre in Karachi.

Ambassador Schlagheck said: “Dr Chris Schmotzer is a role model of true philanthropy. Thirty-three years ago, as a young woman, she decided to devote her life to the service of humanity. In Rawalpindi and beyond, she is widely known and respected as a compassionate and devoted medical doctor who always gives priority to the treatment of sick and needy people. As a token of appreciation of the German Federal President for her tireless work, I gladly hand over the Cross of Merit to Dr Chris Schmotzer.”

The honour is the highest tribute the Federal Republic of Germany can pay to individuals for outstanding services.

Published in Dawn, December 22nd, 2020