KARACHI, March 13: Every member of society has responsibility towards proper upbringing of children, not only his own but all children, particularly those who are neglected and exploited.

These remarks were made by the Sindh governor, Mohammedmian Soomro, at the inauguration ceremony of Zindagi, a child welfare trust.

He added that children in rural as well as urban areas faced many problems, such as hunger, poverty, exploitation and abuse.

“It is the responsibility of civil society to remove the trials and tribulations a child has to go through if he has nobody to take care of. A child who has been exploited and abused will, in all probability, grow up into a bitter person.”

National Accountability Bureau chairman Lt-Gen Munir Hafiez, who is the patron of Zindagi, said: “The manner a child is brought up, and the circumstances under which he is brought up, is mirrored by the individual he grows up into. This phenomenon is, collectively, mirrored in the formation of a nation as well.”

He added that the shift towards social investment signified that philanthropy should go beyond charity. “There is evidence to suggest that human capital is best invested when individuals and private parties cooperate with each other.”

He observed that the country’s principal asset was human resources in view of its population. He stressed the need for employing the human resources in the best possible manner.

“The state, we know, is trying hard to ameliorate the lot of underprivileged classes. Poverty-stricken parents are loath to allow their children to indulge in any activity other than the one which supplements family income. Zindagi will make cash payments, as well as provide uniforms and books, to children so that they can study without impairing family income.”

Vocalist Shehzad Roy, who is the president of Zindagi, spoke about the projects his welfare trust was undertaking. He said Zindagi was focussing on two projects. First, a working child education project titled “I-am-paid-to-learn”. Second, a child health care centre in Sultanabad, Shahdadpur.

“The first project is intended to reach to the scavengers and other working children and provide them basic education without disturbing rather supplementing the finances of their families. It aims to do this by providing incentive to the working child and his/her parents in shape of cash payments and by providing uniforms and books.”

Renowned social worker Abdul Sattar Edhi wished Mr Roy well and added that a social worker had to have a lot of patience to be able to do his job. “I manage to receive Rs1 billion in donations in the teeth of opposition. It is a pity that people are willing to destroy the life of a child beggar by giving him money but do not make concerted efforts to educate him and make sure that he is brought up in a proper manner.”

Performer Moin Akhter also stressed the need for creating an enabling environment for children, especially in rural areas, so that they could study and lead decent lives.