Srinagar, June 10
To helps the increasing number of orphans in Kashmir, a social service programme Sakhawat Centre was launched here today under the auspices of the Iqbal Memorial Trust, which already has been assisting over 3,000 orphans of the Kashmir valley. Jammu and Kashmir, witnessing trouble over the past 16 years, has an estimated number of about 40,000 orphans facing miserable conditions, according to the trust.
“In view of the large number of orphan children in the state, the trust has decided to widen the scope of its social service programme” and establish the Sakhawat Centre, said Dr Yusuf-ul-Omar, Chairman of the trust at a press conference here today. The Chairman sought people’s involvement in this direction.
The Iqbal Memorial Trust (IMT) which runs several educational institutions, for boys and girls, here and in other major towns of the valley, has also been providing assistance in cash and kind to nearly 3000 orphans on monthly basis over the past many years. Its units at various places in the valley arrange assistance to deserving orphans in their area. It also monitors the progress of the orphans’ health and education at its central office, where full-time doctors and teachers are available, Dr Omar said.
Out of an estimated 40,000 orphans, according to the IMT, at least 5,000 are the most deserving cases, said Dr Omar. He said the trust had branches in all six districts of the Kashmir valley, and the adjacent Doda district of the Jammu region. The valley’s districts are Srinagar, Budgam, Baramula, Kupwara, Anantnag and Pulwama. The most affected districts where the number of orphans was the highest due to the ongoing trouble were Kupwara in north Kashmir and Budgam in central Kashmir, with Srinagar having about 900 such orphans.
Dr Omar said there were three categories of orphans. Firstly, those without any support who needed all food, shelter and clothing. In the second category were those who required some assistance and help in education, while the third category of orphans were those who totally depended on their relatives and needed no help.
Assistance had also been provided to at least 110 girls for marriages in different parts of the valley during the past one year. The trust also helped those belonging to minority communities.
