MULTAN, May 6: A 19-member delegation comprising senior officials of the UAE Government and UNICEF led by Brigadier Nasser Aloadi Yahya Al-Minhali visited Multan and nearby areas to inspect centres set up to provide support for children who were formerly camel jockeys.

The delegation is in Pakistan on a three-day visit. On Tuesday, the team visited Multan and Muzaffargarh and will visit Lahore on Wednesday (today).

The former camel jockeys were repatriated in accordance with an agreement signed last year between the UAE and UNICEF.

The UAE also negotiated agreements with Pakistan and other source countries to provide on-going support and social services to the former camel jockeys. The support centres have been set up by the UAE Government and UNICEF.

The team visited the multi-dimensional project being run by the Child Protection Welfare Bureau (CPWB) in Hamzewali, a small village located in Muzaffargarh.

The programme provides support for the camel jockeys and their families, including education for the children and water and sanitation facilities for their families.

Each child registered with CPWB is paid Rs 600 per month on the condition that the he must have over 80 per cent school attendance. These children will get Rs 72000 each on attaining 18 years of age from the cash grant fund established by the UAE government.—APP