UGRAD alumna, Maryam Khan, found an innovative way to celebrate Pakistan’s 71st Independence Day. Instead of decorating her house with usual green and white Pakistan pennants, she set up a roadside stall in her city Jamshoro, that grabbed everyone’s attention.
The stall with a banner that read ‘beat the heat and plant trees’, offered free saplings, water bottles and pamphlets to the passers-by. Ms Khan and her volunteers while handing out saplings and awareness pamphlet to the car and motorbike riders, reminded them that the only way to battle heat wave is to plant as many trees as possible.
Ms Khan’s plantation drive supported by Pakistan U.S. Alumni Network was applauded by the media and people of Jamshoro. While speaking to Samaa News, Maryam said: “the campaign aims to encourage environmentally responsible behaviour among the citizens by providing them with the relevant knowledge and support.” “Heatwave claims hundreds of lives every year and tree plantation is the only way to prevent the deadly heat waves,” she added
Renowned news anchor, Iqrar-ul-Hassan and his team of volunteers who are on the mission of planting 1.4 million trees till 14th August 2018, also joined the alumni of U.S. Government-funded exchange program in Jamshoro to express their support for the cause.
Pakistan is among the countries worst affected by climate change and least well-equipped to respond to climate risk. In April, the town of Nawabshah experienced a temperature of 50.2º Celsius (122.4º Fahrenheit) the hottest temperature ever recorded anywhere in the world for that month.
The Pakistan U.S. Alumni Network through its alumni small grants and chapter activities is providing full support to efforts aimed at battling climate change.
