Des Farrell (GMB UK)
Des Farrell has been the National Secretary in GMB (Clothing and Textile Section) in the national office in London. He met BRIC founders in 1997 during their stay in London and he showed the commitment to support BRIC. It has been an honor for BRIC that Des Farrell & GMB is the first International organization that started supporting BRIC Pakistan.
Des Farrell personally believes that if we want to promote the situation of the workers internationally, we would have to educate them. The best way to do that is through the education of children of workers who are the next. generation. He appreciated BRIC’s initiative to support the education of poor children in Pakistan.
Stanley Sjoberg (Sweden)
Pastor Stanley Sjoberg met the founders of BRIC when they were still brick kiln workers in 1995 and later on these former slave children established BRIC in 1997. He started supporting them regularly in 2003 and his cooperation, care and guidance became a way forward for BRIC Pakistan.
As a church leader in cooperation with Catholics, Lutherans and Pentecostals he has been a speaker in large gatherings representing Christian values in debates and dialogue with Political Leaders. He is also known for supporting religious freedom and positive dialogue with other religions. Pastor Stanley Sjoberg has been active in fundraising to help the poor in African countries, in Indonesia, and even in Europe, but most of all giving support to Churches and free Education for the poor worker’s children in Pakistan.
Birgitta Almeby (Swedish Missionary)
Birgitta Elisabeth Almeby was born on 28 August 1941 in the Almeby family in By Kyrkby, Avesta municipality in Dalarna County in the central part of Sweden. She went through elementary school at By folkskola, followed by university studies where she graduated as a teacher in 1962. She felt the call of God in her child-‘ hood and since then decided to serve God.
She traveled to Pakistan in January 1973 as a teacher in a school for missionary children and started working for the welfare and education of the poor in Pakistan after a couple of years. She has been a great support for hundreds of families and thousands of poor and orphaned children who got shelter, food, security, and education from the institutions she had established. Her home church, Koping’s Pentecostal church, has been the primary supporter of her missionary projects in Pakistan together with a number of other Swedish Pentecostal assemblies, along with her home assembly, By-Horndal Pentecostal church. Birgitta Elisabeth Almeby met BRIC for the first time in 2004. She appreciated its vision to serve poor children and started supporting BRIC’s projects. In December 2012 she was seriously injured in an assault in front of her house in Lahore. She died from her injuries a few weeks later in a Swedish hospital, and her death is a great loss and shock for all of us. Our sympathies and prayers are always with her and may her soul rest in peace.
Liv Marie Wettergreen Jensen (Norway)
Liv Marie Wettergreen Jensen was a missionary in Pakistan from Norway. She served poor communities in Pakistan for several years before she got retired and went back to Norway in 2011.
She started supporting BRIC’s Literacy Development Project in 2004 as she found it very interesting because she was already working with a project for adults to provide opportunities for reading & writing to illiterate masses living in poverty.
She mentions “We talked a lot about the ways of teaching and the books we used. I was very impressed by BRIC’s ability and devotion to the work they were doing. We spent a lot of good time together – precious memories! How glad I am that their work has continued and is increasing. The field is so vast and the demands are so great. My good wishes and prayers are always with BRIC that God bless it and it may grow day by day to empower the poor”
Marit Rasmussen (Norway)
Marit is a Pentecostal Norwegian missionary who came to Pakistan in 2000. She served children and women in the poor areas of Lahore by running projects for child & mother care, midwifery and nursing trainings.
She visited brick kiln worker’s families for monitoring the health projects and she herself served the poor communities by supporting their needs and education of their children.
She supported BRIC’s Primary Education project and was a part of various activities to promote Literacy and Basic Education at the brick kilns, small villages and rural areas. She returned to Norway in 2015. She is still one of our international friends and sup-porter of BRIC’s ongoing projects.
Rev. Pauline Edwards UK
Pastor Pauline Edwards met the ERIC team at a function in Lahore in 1998. After seeing the plight of brick-making slave children, she opened a primary school. Her first school was founded by Annie’s Orphans, which makes money through charity shop sales in the UK. Since then 22 other schools have been added through the same sponsorship.
She leads a Multinational Church in Wales UK and has worked with the Missions Council for her denomination as well as her pastoral work, she travels extensively to other parts of Asia (India, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Laos, etc), as well as Africa. The shops of Annie’s Orphans fund most of these projects. In addition to that she has been involved in building schools in Burundi, as well as supporting ‘street boys’ there; funding graduate students in Nigeria, supporting vulnerable prisoner’s children in the Philippines , and helping street children in Romania.
Father-Leopold Evens (Belgium)
Father Leopold Evens was sent to Pakistan in 1969 as a missionary from his congregation of the Flemish Capuchins. He was, for a long time, responsible for the education of native friars in Lahore. But as he saw so many poor families suffering, his next mission became to live among poor people. In 1988 he visited the villages, brick kilns, and many rural areas and he saw the need for education as the majority of the people were illiterate.
He started hundreds of Schools in poor areas and thousands of poor children got the opportunity of an education. They became successful in their lives and made a better future for themselves and their families.
He has been opening literacy centers for male and female adult brick kiln workers, to help them lead a better life.
He has been a supporter of BRIC as he knew the founders since their childhood and in fact, he was a great inspiration for the founders. They learned from Leopold that ‘Education is a step to success and this motivation was an initial strength. Leopold has been a great help and support for all operations and projects of ERIC Pakistan. Father Leopold’s prayers, care, and cooperation have been a great help throughout the years.
Sven Olov & Britt Marie Dvaring (Bolsta-Sweden)
Sven Olov Daring has been the Union Officer & Negotiator in IF METALL (Swed-ish Industrial Workers Union) Stockholm.
He met the slave children at the brick kiln School situated in a small village in District Lahore at the beginning of 1997 and appreciated the children for continuing education even in difficult situations. Later on, when the same children founded ERIC he showed his commitment to support them. It has been an honor for ERIC that Sven & His wife Britt Marie Dvaring became strong supporters of ERIC since its initial stages.
Sven Olov and Britt Marie Dvaring both believe that the education of the workers’ children is a most important and basic tool for the protection of labor rights and sustainable development of the countries around the globe. Their commitment with ERIC Pakistan has been a way forward for the achievements throughout the years and it still continues in a comprehensive way.
Heidi Fahlgren (Sweden)
Sven Olov Daring has been the Union Officer & Negotiator in IF METALL (Swed-ish Industrial Workers Union) Stockholm.
He met the slave children at the brick kiln School situated in a small village in District Lahore at the beginning of 1997 and appreciated the children for continuing education even in difficult situations. Later on, when the same children founded ERIC he showed his commitment to support them. It has been an honor for ERIC that Sven & His wife Britt Marie Dvaring became strong supporters of ERIC since its initial stages.
Sven Olov and Britt Marie Dvaring both believe that the education of the workers’ children is a most important and basic tool for the protection of labor rights and sustainable development of the countries around the globe. Their commitment with ERIC Pakistan has been a way forward for the achievements throughout the years and it still continues in a comprehensive way.
Mr. Jehanzeib & Kausar Dean (USA)
Dean’s family belongs to a village about 35 miles away from Lahore city in Paki-stan. The family has a rich Christian background as Honorable Persi Ram Dean has been a Christian and a very strong believer of the Jesus Christ at the time when a few were known about Christianity in this part of the world.
He has been working as headmaster in a government school and has been serving God as a volunteer evangelist. He was well known in localities for being generous and for serving the poor. The Dean family migrated to the USA in 1970. Mr. Jehanzeib and Kauser Dean are living in Denver and dealing with the real estate business. They visit Pakistan about once a year and are able to see the ongoing projects of BRIC. They are supporting and helping poor students in their education at the college & university level.
Mr. Michael and Helen Boot. UK
Michael and Helen Boot are Missionaries with Assemblies of God, Great Britain. Michael has been academic Dean at Bible College in Lahore since 1996. Their teaching and miraculous experiences with God have been an inspiration for the students in their home country and in Pakistan.
Mr. Michael & Helen have been visiting BRIC Schools at the brick kiln colonies and have been teaching the children and working families that God creates a difference by empowering the poor and needy if they trust God and become positive for struggle in all walks of life. They had been helping children with their school materials and other needs during their stay in Pakistan up till 2016.
Mr. Michael & Helen Boot’s care and cooperation have led the BRIC team in a positive way and their association has been a great support.
Lennart Carlsson & Lena (Skara- Sweden)
Lennart Carlsson was vice-principal at Fredriksdalskolan in Lidkoping city, about 368 km from Sweden’s capital Stockholm and he was principal at a secondary school in Vara for 16 years. He was one part of the core team that established LUF (Lidkopings u-lands-Forening) and started to support the education of the poor brick kiln workers’ children in Pakistan. Lennart visited Pakistan many times to see the ongoing projects and during these trips, he met a lot of slave children.
The founders of BRIC were among those children which were able to meet him, when they were still young Since the establishment of BRIC in 1977, Lena & Lennart Carlsson have been strong supporters.
Their care, love and cooperation have been with the BRIC team and they have been continually appreciating the initiatives of BRIC.
Ashfaque A. Sheikh (Ireland)
Ashfaque A. Sheikh (Director of Finance of Interesource Group-Ireland Limited) is a supporter of many charitable causes in Ireland and one of the supporters of BRIC Pakistan. Intercourse Group (Ireland) Limited has been supporting many projects for the uplift of the poor brick kiln workers’ families and education of the deserving children.
Ashfaque A. Sheikh is Director of Finance of Interesource Group (Ireland) Limit-ed. He has extensive business experience in SMEs. He was a founding Executive Director of the company in UK, and Managing Director of wholesale and retail outlets in Ireland until 1998, Before taking up his current position as Executive Director of Finance.
Ashfaque is responsible for the accounting and finance of the company. He is extensively involved in managing property and investment portfolios both in Ireland and overseas.
Ingrid & Per Stridh (Sweden)
Honourable Per and Ingrid Stridh have a transportation company in Sweden `SkaraTerminalen AB’. The company provides a personal response with a high level of service. It has learnt that hard work and a positive attitude are needed to meet the needs of modern, fast and efficient handling.
Per and Ingrid Stridh are serving the Lord through their pastoral services at Hebron Church where they are also running the children ministry, this church has members from different parts of the world and is called Hebron church of international members.
They also have an organization ‘Slattmissionens Hjalpande Hand’ which has an engagement in the relief missions and in helping educational projects worldwide. They are helping BRIC with a unique project initiated in Pakistan for the education, rehabilitation & care of poor children and children with disabilities.
Magnus Bergmar (Cheif Executive WCPRF)
Magnus Bergman is the founder and CEO of the World’s Children’s Prize and the Globe Magazine, with a background as a journalist and filmmaker. Magnus has 40 years of experience as a producer of communications projects addressing child rights and other global issues. Magnus’ documentary films on apartheid and on child slavery have been broadcasted in more than 80 countries. He has developed the World’s Children’s Prize into a global movement. He has received numerous awards including Humanpriset (The Humanity Prize, Banco Fund), Kunskapspriset (The Prize of Knowledge, The Swedish National Encyclopedia), Stora Priset (The Big Prize, Children’s Welfare Foundation Sweden), The Royal So-Pro Patrias’ Gold medal, and The CMS Mahatma Gandhi Award.
When Magnus visited Pakistan in 1993 he made a film ‘My Life is Mine’ about children in bonded brick kiln families. The main children in the film were Shahnaz Javed and Amino Gulnaz, then 12 and 13 years old respectively. The main focus of the film was the Shahnaz family’s home and their work. Shahnaz’s older brother Liaqat sometimes assisted the film team. Later on Shahnaz, Amina and Liaqat founded ERIC.
The World’s Children’s Prize Program educates and empowers children to become reformers who stand up for the equal rights of all people, especially the rights of the child, democracy, and sustainable development. Since its launch in the year 2000, more than 42 million children have participated in the World’s Children’s Prize Program. Most of them are vulnerable children in fragile societies who for the first time discover that they have rights. The WCP Program has a special focus on girls’ equal rights. Towards the end of the annual educational program, millions of children in their democratic Global Vote decide which Child Rights Hero that they honor with the children’s prestigious World’s Children’s Prize for the rights of the child. WCP Laureates include Malala Yousafzai and Nelson Mandela, who also are patrons of the WCP. Patrons also include Her Majesty Queen Silvia of Sweden and the Swedish prime minister.
The World’s Children’s Prize Foundation has partner organizations, implementing the WCP Program locally. BRIC is one of these organizations. This includes that the educational material the globe, which all participating children use, nowadays annually exists also in an Urdu version. The WCPF partnership with ERIC is based on the trust that Magnus Bergman has in the former bonded brick kiln children that he met 25 years ago. He trusts that they know the plights of poor children, and especially girls’ equal rights, that Shahnaz and Amino in his film My Life is Mine, expressed dreams of 25 years ago. He also trusts that ERIC stands up for equal opportunities and children and human rights, and knows how to best involve children – especially poor children – in the WCP Pro-
