Lahore (Staff Report) – WWF-Pakistan and Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL) signed an MoU to partner for the International Eco-Internship Programme (IEIP). Through this partnership, SNGPL will sponsor 3,000 students under WWF-Pakistan’s International Eco-Internship Programme 2015 to spread environmental education.
The agreement was signed by Anwar Naseem, Senior Director Operations, WWF-Pakistan and Amer Tufail, Deputy Managing Director Services, SNGPL. Hamza Malik, Senior Officer, IEIP and Asma Maqbool, Executive Engineer Health, Safety and Environment, SNGPL were also present on the occasion.
Speaking at the occasion Anwar Naseem said, ‘Through this partnership we aim to ensure that we reach out to an even larger number of students, so that the youth of this country can be sensitized to promote nature conservation.’ Amer Tufail stated, ‘This is an amazing opportunity for students to work for environment conservation and to protect the biodiversity of our country. We are investing in our youth for a greener Pakistan and a better tomorrow.’
The International Eco-Internship Programme is one of the most prominent environmental education campaigns of WWF-Pakistan with more than 8,000 students participating each year from across the country. WWF-Pakistan has also supported WWF-South Pacific in replicating the programme in Suva, Fiji after a pilot session, making it international.
The objective of the programme is to provide a unique learning opportunity to students from grade 6 onwards and to give students a chance to become affiliated with an international organization, taking first steps towards professions in the environment sciences. Through this internship, students also broaden their scope as responsible custodians of natural resources by becoming more aware of their civic responsibilities.
The International Eco-Internship Programme is a structured workshop based on six interactive sessions that give students an opportunity to learn more about the pressing environmental challenges at hand. The sessions cover a wide array of topics on nature conservation and environment such as biodiversity, sustainable development, water conservation, renewable energies, climate change, green journalism, solid waste management and nature photography. Students also participate in hands on activities such as documentary making, eco designing, picture story, survival training and project making and receive a certificate after successful completion of the internship.
