PESHAWAR
A ceremony commemorating the “International Volunteer Day” took place in Peshawar, shining a spotlight on the outstanding accomplishments of Salma Rehmat, a dedicated Afghan refugee volunteer residing in Peshawar.
Recognized for her remarkable efforts in promoting girls’ education and safeguarding hundreds of Afghan refugee children from child labor, Salma was honored with the prestigious Global Volunteer Impact Award by VSO’s International Office UK.
The event, titled “VSO Volunteerism Impact Award 2023,” was organized by the Voluntary Service Organization (VSO) at a local hotel in Peshawar on Sunday. Dignitaries such as Badar Munir Khan from Commissionerate for Afghan Refugees KP, officials from the Education Department Peshawar, Country Director VSO Sehar Afshin, Program Officer Nida Sughra, PRDS Chief Executive Naimatullah, Tariq Hayat PM MYRP Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Child Protection and Welfare Commission Head Ijaz Khan, Program Director of KP Commission on the Status of Women Amina Durrani, along with representatives of civil society and women volunteers, participated physically, while hundreds of volunteers and dignitaries from different international organizations joined the celebration through virtual platform.
Addressing the audience, VSO Country Director Sehar Afshin congratulated Salma Rehmat and emphasized the organization’s commitment to promoting education for children, youth, and women empowerment through volunteer engagement in more than 24 countries of the world.
She highlighted the annual recognition of volunteers for their selfless contributions, with Salma receiving the esteemed Global Volunteer Impact Award in the education category this year.
Participants learned about Salma’s impactful role as a passionate advocate for education at Peshawar.
She serves as a true bridge between the host and refugee communities and supports the vulnerable children by persuading the parents to refrain from involving their children in child labor.
She identifies out of school children, engage the basic learning activities in Catch-up learning center, established at Peshawar under Multi Year Resilience Programme, after each 4,5 months she enrolls the identified out of school children in formal government schools and continues her efforts to ensure their retention in the schools.
Regular meetings with local village support groups, parent-teacher councils, and school teachers further showcase her dedication towards Education.
Upon receiving the award, Salma expressed her gratitude for being recognized as an international education champion, dedicating the honor to all women working for the Noble cause of Education. She stressed the collective responsibility to educate children, irrespective of their nationality, caste or creed and conveyed gratitude to the government of Pakistan, education department KP, CAR office KP, VSO, and PRDS for their true assistance and mentorship in her selfless educational efforts and for establishing catch-up learning program center in her locality.
At the end of the ceremony, the representatives of VSO, PRDS and Afghan Commissionerate awarded Salma with a tablet, certificates and other valuable gifts for her landmark achievement.
