LAHORE, June 25 (APP): Henny da Vries, the Netherlands Ambassador in Pakistan, attended a ceremony here to sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the SBP Khawaja Junaid Hockey Academy and the Almarah Foundation to provide hockey training to orphan children over the next ten years.
According to a news statement released on Sunday, hockey Olympian Khawaja Junaid, Chairperson Almarah Foundation Sophiya Warraich, and DIG Police Mehboob Aslam Lillah were also present at the occasion. Tahir Raza, former IGP Punjab, Olympians Shahbaz Senior and Khalid Bashir, benefactors, and a big number of hockey players and fans attended the ceremony.
Sports, according to Henny da Vries, are a unifying force in cultures, and it is good that young children will be groomed under the watchful eye of famous hockey players.
At a ceremony conducted at the National Hockey Stadium, the Netherlands ambassador also cut a cake to commemorate her country’s 75-year diplomatic relations with Pakistan. She stated that the Netherlands and Pakistan have excellent diplomatic ties and that she would try to expand bilateral trade and partnerships. “I am immensely pleased to visit the historic city of Lahore and very pleased to find myself among small children who promise a bright future for the country,” she remarked.
The Dutch envoy also praised the charity efforts of the Almarah Foundation, which has been caring for over 100 orphan children and trying to safeguard their future.
Almarah Foundation is an orphanage that houses over 100 children aged 3 to 9 years old and provides them with all educational, health, and recreational opportunities.
DIG Mehboob Aslam Lillah shed light on the Almarah Foundation’s 27-year history. The Almarah Foundation’s chairperson congratulated the ambassador for her attendance at the MoU signing ceremony.
