ISLAMABAD (DI NEWS) : Mrs. Anita Khawaja, German citizen and resident of Sialkot, has been awarded the Cross of Merit (1st Class) of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany by Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier. Mrs. Khawaja, widow of the late Muhammad Anwar Khawaja, the Founder of Anwar Khawaja Industries, is decorated in recognition of her life-long commitment to improving the healthcare and education of football stitchers and other residents of Sialkot.
During a reception in Mrs. Khawaja’s honour, the medal of the Cross of Merit (1st Class) was handed over to her by Germany’s Ambassador to Pakistan, H. E. Ina Lepel. The event was attended by Mrs. Khawaja’s family and friends, other bearers of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany living in Pakistan and by representatives of the national press.
Born in Germany’s capital Berlin in 1941, Mrs. Anita Khawaja (née Bade) first came to Pakistan through the “Dienste in Übersee” programme (“Service Abroad”) as a young nurse in 1971 to train midwives at the Christian Memorial Hospital and later also traditional birth attendants, thereby helping to substantially reduce infant and maternal mortality in the Sialkot District. After a brief stay in Europe, she married the late Muhammad Anwar Khawaja in 1975 and continued her work for disadvantaged citizens. In 1982, Mrs. Khawaja set up an Under-Five Healthcare Clinic at the Bethania Hospital for the prevention of malnutrition, critical for the healthy development of children. She worked there until 1986. Simultaneously, Mrs. Khawaja was appointed as a social worker for the women of the District Jail.
In 1996, Anwar Khawaja Industries requested Mrs. Anita Khawaja to develop their corporate social responsibility programme. Thanks to the Select Anwar Khawaja Industries Health and Education Programme (SAHEP), tens of thousands of workers (mostly women) and their families have gained access to free healthcare and education (including adult literacy). Targeting education to each child’s individual needs has significantly contributed to reducing child labour.
Mrs. Anita Khawaja continues to preside SAHEP to this day. Her tireless efforts to improve the lives of the workers and of the people of Sialkot continue.
