Afridi to help needy children in Dubai

Shahid Afridi, Shoaib Malik and Mohammed Irfan attend a function at Pakistan Association of Dubai on Wednesday. - Photo by Mohammed Mustafa Khan

Pakistan cricketer Shahid Afridi on Wednesday said the upcoming Pakistan Centre is open for all nationalities and he will offer financial support to children who seek help.
"Pakistan Centre is not just for Pakistanis but for all nationalities who can come and use its facilities. I thank all the people who made this task easier. We will also support those children who dreamt of achieving something," Afridi said.
The cricketer was speaking at function hosted by Pakistan Association of Dubai under its "Own a Brick" programme to build the Centre.
Afridi said he is is serving not just the Muslims but a large number of Hindu and Sikh communities in Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces of Pakistan.
"We are working on different water projects in remote areas of Sindh and there is a large number of people from Hindu community. People walk miles to get drinking water in the interiors of the province. Also, we work in remote areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa where a large number of people from Sikh community resides. So, I want to tell you that humanity is our top and foremost priority," he said.
Afridi, who was joined by other Pakistan cricketers including Shoaib Malik, Mohammed Irfan, Junaid Khan, Shan Masood and Imad Azam, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding to raise 1,000 bricks for the Health and Fitness Centre.
The concept of owning bricks is to engage each and every member of the community; 15,000 bricks are required to build the project. Each brick is Dh1,000 and gives every brick owner a membership of the association for 10 years. To engage children, a concept of junior brick had been introduced last year to engage the children. A junior brick is for Dh100 and gives the child a two years membership of PAD.
"It is a great honour for us to support this initiative. I'm sure Pakistan Association Dubai will serve the community well. I am always there for any kind of support the community needs here," Shoaib Malik said during the 'Own a Brick' dinner hosted to raise funds for the Pakistan Centre in Dubai.
Dr Faisal Ikram, president of Pakistan Association Dubai, hailed Afridi for his role. "There is no second opinion that Afridi lives in the hearts of every Pakistani. When I first met him, I immediately realised that he has a very soft heart and there are very few people who love the country as much as Afridi."
waheedabbas@khaleejtimes.com

• Dubai