04/12/2023
A Pakistani school operated by the Kashmir Orphan Relief Trust (KORT) emerged as the winner of the Zayed Sustainability Prize, securing $100,000 for its outstanding project on water conservation and organic farming. The award was presented at the UN climate conference in Dubai, where the school competed against finalists from India and Bangladesh. The KORT School and College of Excellence, based in Azad Kashmir, focuses on providing education and support to over 500 orphaned children, expanding its impact by opening another school in Swabi in October. The winning project aims to address the impending scarcity of clean drinking water in Pakistan by implementing water filtration plants, sensor taps to minimize wastage, and promoting organic farming for nutrition.
Sumaiya Bibi, a 19-year-old representative of the trust, highlighted the urgency of their water conservation project, stating that clean drinking water is expected to be depleted in Pakistan by 2025. The KORT initiative seeks to instill awareness and practical solutions in students, with plans to set up water filtration plants, sensor taps, and a kitchen garden through organic farming within their school. The Zayed Sustainability Prize, named after UAE's founding father Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, recognizes and supports initiatives addressing health, food, energy, water, and climate challenges, positively impacting millions of lives worldwide over the past 15 years.