KARACHI, Feb 7: A large number of handicapped children danced at music beat and enjoyed songs at a function organized at a seaside elite restaurant on Thursday.

More than 110 special children studying at Ida Rieu School and College for the Deaf and Blind participated in the function organized by artist and social worker Jimmy Engineer.

A few special children, who are attending music classes at Ida Rieu School, also sang various folk and national songs along with stage artist Farzana Naz, who has volunteered to perform at all functions to be held for handicapped children.

Jimmy Engineer urged philanthropists to come forward and provide financial assistance to institutions and organizations that were providing training and other assistance to handicapped people.

He said handicapped children were not inferior to normal children, and if they were provided specific training, that was necessary keeping in view their particular disability, they could prove that they were equally intelligent and able to perform their roles like other normal people.

He said equal opportunities be provided to special people in the field of education, jobs, etc so that they could also play their role in the progress and development of society.

He said he had initiated the project food for the handicapped children under which he was trying to line up 20 to 25 elite city restaurants who would accommodate 100 handicapped children once a month, in this way nearly 2,000 to 2,500 handicapped children would have a chance to entertained at least once a month that they otherwise might not have.

He said he had resumed the children’s programme after a break of a couple of months.

A representative of the Teachers Resource Centre, Naureen Junaid, distributed caps among the handicapped children.