Pakistan Development Foundation (PDF) on Friday signed an agreement with Shaheed Benazir Bhutto Women University (SBBWU), Peshawar to execute a project to provide skill-based training to the youth of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Chairman of PDF Muhammad Bilal Sethi and Vice Chancellor of SBBWU Professor Dr Safia Ahmad (TI) signed the accord at the university, Peshawar, said an official release issued here.
“The project aims at countering violent extremism in the youth and other people by empowering them, giving them skill-based trainings and improving the standards of their lives”, it said.
Under the banner of this project, skill based trainings would be conducted for the students enrolled in undergraduate programmes of all the government colleges of the province, including merged tribal districts (erstwhile FATA).
Some major themes of the programme were inter and intra-faith harmony, human rights, social inclusivity, de-marginalization of marginalized groups, women empowerment with emphasis on freelancing, computer literacy, English language, curriculum vitae writing, proposal writing, communication skills and social ethics and basic Etiquettes.
These training programmes would be conducted in different phases in all male and female government colleges of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. 27 districts, including District Peshawar, Charsadda, Nowshera, Mardan, Swabi, Abbottabad, Battagram, Swat, Haripur, Shabqadar, would be part in phase-1.
These trainings would be certified and participants would be granted small projects to continue activities in their respective college to benefit larger audience.
“Peace Club” would be initiated in these colleges to sensitize and mobilize youth in the peace building process.
Muhammad Bilal said that approximately 5,000 students and professional would be direct beneficiaries of the programme, whereas the total potential audience reach would be between 20,000 to 25,000.
He added that in order to distance youth from violent activities, it was important for them to be engaged in positive activity where besides earning livelihood, they would be mobilized and empowered.
He said that like other previous programmes, this programme would also achieve its objective, adding that since universities were engines of change in society, the programme management team would welcome and contact all the universities of the province for their invaluable insight and partnership.
Professor Dr Safia Ahmad remarked that she was pleased to initiate the said programme for its significance.
The affiliated colleges, she said, were also a part of the family of SBBWU, therefore university lay huge emphasis on their grooming, adding that her institute would contribute every effort for smooth running of the programme.
Violence was prohibited by Islam since the first day, and it was responsibility of universities to help spread the message, she said.
At the time of project signing, Project Directors Tashfeen Zia, Beenish Asmatullah were also present.
It was decided that the project would be jointly patronized by Chairman PDF Muhammad Bilal Sethi and Vice Chancellor SBBWU Professor Dr Safia Ahmad.
Aizaz Sethi, Ayesha Maqsood and Namal Shiraz are part of the project team.
University and college students would be involved as volunteer workers so that they could play their role as productive members of society.
