KARACHI - Lifeline, an NGO working for promotion of awareness about reproductive health among youth in the country arranged a musical evening in Karachi to provide youth with a healthy recreational activity. The show, an Evening with Fariha Pervez, featured renowned Pakistani singer Fariha Pervez as its talent, was attended by more than 200 guests, including parents, teachers, adolescents, political figures and media representatives.  The tagline “Your child deserves to know. Equip your child with SRHR knowledge” summarised the entire theme of the evening. CEO Lifeline, Omer Aftab, a seasoned Development and Communications professional, said that only 29 per cent girls and 41 per cent boys have access to correct information about puberty and hygiene in Pakistan.

Therefore Lifeline has launched a programme “HAYAT,” that will be run in nine districts of five major cities of Pakistan including Islamabad, he said.  Other cities are Lahore and Lodhra in Punjab, Karachi and Jamshoro in Sindh, Peshawar and Abbottabad in KPK, and Quetta and Pishin in Balochistan. Expert mentioned that sexual and reproductive health (SRH) and rights of adolescents in Pakistan, especially of girls, often remain unfulfilled due to number of reasons; adequate knowledge, a non-supportive environment, and lack of access to reliable and youth-friendly SRH services.  Consequently, Pakistani youth is prone to numerous health problems including stress. One of the aims of HAYAT programme is to provide people with a platform to discuss this issue and reach out to the youth to aware them of their rights and to provide them with healthy environment. Prominent personalities including MNA Shazia Marri, senior actor and producer Asif Raza Mir, young artist Tipu and the gorgeous film and television legend Zeba Bakhtiar also attended the programme, hosted by Dr Huma Mir. Omer Aftab said that the programme targets youth of the country. And to raise awareness among them, relevant messages will be disseminated through TV, radio, community theatres, outdoor and musical events. He said that Lifeline had also involved religious scholars to guide the young generation through their sermons and teach them the right practices. Fariha Pervez took the stage after a delightful dinner. She captivated the audience with her melodious tunes and charming self. 
Fariha brought to life popular ghazals of Madam Noorjehan and Faiz Ahmed Faiz. She also took song requests from the audience and sang her hit “Patangbaaz Sajna” among other hits.
More than 200 guests signed pledges before the end of the successful show to demonstrate their willingness to support the SRHR education of youth.
More than 20 guests also gave on-air testimonials to demonstrate their willingness to promote the cause of HAYAT.