DAWN.COM

Today's Paper | December 28, 2024

Published 24 Jul, 2014 03:12pm

I am Agha: The plight of a street child

This short film, narrated by a Pakistani street child, Agha Khan, offers a unique and powerful view of his life and of others like him.

Agha Khan's primary concern is survival. His job is to collect garbage, which he does for a minimal wage barely enough to avoid starvation. He dreams of going to school and having toys and friends like any regular child, but realises that he probably never will. He faces the same plight many children in Pakistan face.

Pakistan has one of the world’s largest populations of street children, estimated at between 1.2 million and 1.5 million. The average age of these children is 9. Left to fend and survive on their own, most will die before their 18th birthday.

This film is part of the Royal Society of Arts & Commerce and www.thesamosa.co.uk launched RSA Pakistan Calling, Film Project to promote constructive cross-cultural dialogue between Britain and Pakistan. The films depict Pakistani civil society organisations and individuals attempting to tackle the country's many pressing social problems and the many links between Britain and Pakistan.

Read Comments

Kabul protests air strike against ‘terror camps’ in Paktika Next Story