KARACHI, Pakistan: The 18-month project ‘Exchange for Change: Pakistan India 2013 – 2015’, aimed at improving relationships between school students of the two countries, has been completed.
The project was completed by the Citizens Archive of Pakistan (CAP) in collaboration with Routes2Roots (R2R), an Indian non-profit organisation working for peace and dialogue between Pakistan and India.
As many as 5,000 students from 31 schools across Karachi, Lahore, Rawalpindi, Islamabad, Mumbai, Delhi and Dehradun took part in the project.
The participating students believe that their stories across the two nations are the same and are worth sharing with the general public to dispel misconceptions that prevail on both sides of the border.
A series of three exhibitions in Lahore, Karachi and Islamabad are being undertaken by the CAP where participating students of the Exchange for Change (EFC) project will share experiences and lessons learnt from the 18-month initiative.
“Exchange for Change has negated stereotypical views of the ‘other’. These children have taught us that despite Pakistan and India’s violent past we can move forward towards a more peaceful coexistence,” Executive Director and Governing Board Member of CAP Swaleha Alam Shahzada said.
“Exchange for Change – a student exchange program between the school children of India and Pakistan has brought about a visible change in the perceptions of the young participants who will be the leaders of tomorrow, thereby brightening the hope for a peaceful future,” the Founder of Routes2Roots Rakesh Gupta said.
