Ashrafuddin Pirzada
PESHAWAR: The Public Affairs Officer (PAO) of the US consulate Peshawar Monica Davis visited Mansehra, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to participate in US educational and environmental programs.
PAO Davis discussed educational opportunities through the US mission to Pakistan with Hazara University’s Vice Chancellor Dr Mohsin Nawaz and learned more about the history and role of the university in imparting quality education in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
PAO Monica Davis also toured a US Agency for International Development-funded building that houses the Faculty of Education, auditorium and a library constructed in 2013.
While there, she broke ground on a new Learning Resource and Writing Center supported by a Pakistan-US Alumni Network grant.
She also inaugurated Hazara University’s new Archeology Museum and showed appreciation to the university leadership’s interest and role in cultural preservation projects.
PAO Davis also visited the office of the non-profit organization Global Educational, Economic, and Social Empowerment (GEESE) where she learned about the organization’s activities.
The US consulate in Peshawar partnered with GEESE on a grant to spread awareness of the importance of environmental protection in Mansehra. As part of the grant, GEESE conducted hospitality management workshops and environmental protection awareness sessions with students, while also leading tree plantation drives and campaigns for the collection and proper disposal of plastic waste.
The project has benefitted more than 3,500 Pakistani students, and more than 7,500 individuals to date.
The PAO participated in an ongoing awareness session on environment protection with university students, commenting: “I am inspired to be here and see your enthusiasm for protecting the environment. Environmental issues cross international boundaries and therefore need international solutions. Let’s work together to find those answers.”
The initiative falls under the US-Pakistan Green Alliance framework which is helping both countries jointly meet the climate, energy, water, and economic needs of the present and future.
