Lahore, October 5, 2011: Group photo of U.S. Ambassador Cameron Munter and his wife Dr. Marilyn Wyatt with puppeteers and PCTV team (a new USAID-sponsored Pakistani children’s TV show Sim Sim Hamara that will be launched later this year) at the Rafi Peer Theatre Workshop in Lahore.

Sim Sim Hamara is a new Pakistani puppet show that has been designed under the USAID-funded four-year, $20-million Pakistan Children Television (PCTV) Project (puppet-based television programming) for Pakistani children. The show is scheduled to go on air in late December. This take-off on Sesame Street will provide joyful learning opportunities for children in the 4-9 year age group, with a focus on disadvantaged children, especially girls who do not have access to formal schooling. Educational curriculum will focus on language development, critical thinking, and cognitive processes. The program is expected to help alleviate the educational deficits of children without access to schooling and reflect messages of inclusion, mutual respect, and equal opportunity while developing basic literacy and numeracy skills.