US Ambassador Richard Olson on Monday celebrated Earth Day with 65 Pakistani students who used their creativity to raise environmental awareness.
Ambassador Olson visited the Helen Keller Centre and joined students from the US Embassy’s English Access Micro-scholarship
Programme and Islamabad’s Directorate of Special Education and Social Welfare programmes to highlight this year’s Earth Day theme, “The Face of Climate Change”.
Earth Day, which originated in the United States in the 1970’s, is now celebrated around the world every April 22.
“We can each do our part. From recycling to cleaning up our streams, every individual can make a difference,” Ambassador Olson said.
The ambassador expressed his admiration for Pakistan’s natural beauty, and stressed the need for conservation.
He said Pakistan was a spectacular country with diverse ecosystems and unique wildlife.
“The United States supports environmental preservation in
Pakistan. A USAID-funded programme with the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and the Snow Leopard Trust will improve cooperation among Bhutan, India, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Nepal, and Pakistan on snow leopard conservation in Asia’s high mountain landscapes,” he said.
Many of the students who gathered at the Helen Keller Centre on Earth Day were participants of the US Embassy’s English Access Micro-scholarship Programme, which provides a foundation of English language skills to talented students from the age of 14 to 18.
“Pakistan has the world’s largest English Access Micro-scholarship Programme. Since 2005, the United States has awarded 10,000 Access scholarships in 21 cities and villages throughout the country,” he added.
The Helen Keller Centre is a public library which was established through a partnership between the US Embassy and the National Library and Resource Centre of the Directorate General of Special Education and Welfare.
It is one of the 15 Lincoln Corners funded by the US Embassy and is operating with Pakistani partners across the country. Lincoln Corners are a community resource for information about US history, culture, and educational opportunities. They also provide venues for dialogue to increase mutual understanding between Pakistan and the United States.
