Community centre for refugees opens in Rawalpindi

PESHAWAR (Pajhwok): A community centre for encounters between urban Afghan refugees and residents of Rawalpindi and Islamabad has been inaugurated in the garrison town near Pakistan’s capital.

The community centre in Rawalpindi was jointly inaugurated by German Ambassador Bernhard Schlagheck and Federal Minister of States and Frontier Regions (SAFRON) Sahibzada Muhammad Mehboob Sultan.

Funded by the German Federal Foreign Office, the Urban Cohesion Hub is aimed to foster social cohesion between the Afghan refugees and inhabitants of the twin cities.

Set up in cooperation with the Chief Commissionerate for Afghan Refugees, the Hub will support more than 30,000 refugees and host community members with integrated services in health, education, skill training, legal support and recreational activities.

The initiative seeks to support vulnerable groups, including people with disabilities, working children, elderly people, youth and women.

Speaking on the occasion, Ambassador Schlagheck called the Urban Cohesion Hub a testimony to the close and multifaceted Pak-German relations, which would witness their 70th anniversary this year.

“The services that will be provided through this hub will promote peaceful coexistence in an important urban refugee-affected and hosting area of Pakistan.”

The services provided at the Hub were developed through a participatory approach in consultation with the communities, the government, and UNHCR. The project is implemented by the GIZ Refugee Management Support Programme through ICMC.

Minister Sultan said: “For the last 40 years, Pakistanis have shown exemplary kindness, empathy and solidarity with Afghan refugees. The Urban Cohesion Hub is a good example of the German government’s assistance towards refugees and host communities.”

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