Ms. Maria Riaz, Art Lead at YES Network Pakistan has conceptualized and launched Edhi Baba Project to break down decades-old myths around the concept of superhero. The Edhi Baba Project is helping children to understand that they can all be a superhero without having certain physical attributes or superhero costume or unrealistic powers. Children love to see superheroes in a variety of media like picturebooks, comics, movies, shows etc. The storytelling sessions of Children’s book “Our Superhero Edhi Baba” inculcate a new definition of superhero using Abdul Sattar Edhi Sahab as inspiration. This will be further improvised by a “superhero journey notebook” to record their acts of kindness following Edhi Baba footsteps.
Currently, children define superhero as someone who wears a special costume and perform heroic deeds using their unique superpowers. These superpowers include crawling on walls, flying in air, throwing fireballs, unlimited strength, freezing objects etc. As a result developing a limited belief system among children as they understand that to be a superhero you need extraordinary powers that can not be acquired by normal human being.
Abdul Sattar *Edhi was a symbol of altruism, the most celebrated humanitarian and a Social Changemaker.* He lived a very simple life. He left a legacy of universal love and humanity. The Edhi Baba project is launched to make children aware of their distinct changemaking abilities. The project inspires children to begin their superhero journey by doing random acts of kindness every day. The Edhi Baba Project helps children to discover their amazing superpower of having a big heart. It kick starts by holding a storytelling session with children to inspire them and follow the footsteps of Edhi Baba by making a positive change in the lives of others. Children are encouraged to form teams comprising of family members. This “Changemaking Team” works together to identify opportunities of enhancing lives, improving environment, promoting peace and prosperity. Children are encouraged to record their acts of kindness in a notebook called “My Superhero Journey.” Children can introduce the team members and record their kind actions by writing, drawing, pasting pictures, etc. Children areasked to share their progress after one month. All the participating children are provided certificates. The top performing children and parents are provided shields, prizes and trust-based investment to scale-up their efforts. If you want to participate in the activity please send us a request at mariaz.mz@gmail.com