UNICEF has launched a new early childhood development initiative, Bachpan Bemisaal, in collaboration with musician Bilal Maqsood. The four-part series, created under UNICEF’s Pakkay Dost banner, uses music, storytelling and educational entertainment to promote Early Childhood Development (ECD).
The programme highlights the foundational role of love, nutrition, hygiene, play and early stimulation in a child’s healthy cognitive and physical growth.
At the launch event, Bilal Maqsood said the project aims to spark “positive change in societal attitudes.” “Every child deserves love, play and attention. If we provide these in the earliest years, the impact lasts for generations,” he said.
Actor Sanam Saeed, speaking to The Express Tribune, said the initiative fills a long-standing void in Pakistan’s children’s content landscape. “This step is absolutely the right one. ‘Pakkay Dost’ is a platform where children are being educated through entertainment,” she said.
She emphasised that accessible content becomes crucial when parents are balancing demanding routines. “There has always been a need for quality children’s content. I used to watch Sesame Street myself. Parents are often busy with work or household responsibilities, and raising a child is not an easy thing. So whenever tools and educational programmes are available, they help children develop better, shape their personalities, and prepare them to become responsible adults in the future.”
Saeed added that such content also helps parents keep children meaningfully engaged at home. “Programmes like ‘Pakkay Dost’ give parents new ideas and make their lives easier… Education includes science, music, emotions, manners and culture and children need to learn all of this,” she said.
Actor Ayaz Khan echoed the need for quality local programming and called attention to the lack of culturally relevant material on television. “Children are watching material that isn’t part of our culture. Parents are busy, and children spend the whole day in front of screens,” he said. Urging broadcasters to act, he added, “For God’s sake, air at least some programmes for children on TV. Apart from dramas, nothing else is shown, everything has been ruined.”
UNICEF Pakistan’s ECD Manager, Dr Saba Shuja, called early childhood development the country’s “smartest investment.” “Children who receive care, nutrition and sensory stimulation in their earliest years grow up healthier, learn better and contribute more positively to society,” she said.
She added that the Bachpan Bemisaal series is designed to address the widening gap in children’s content and to provide parents, caregivers and communities with simple, accessible tools to support early learning.
