Our resident show troupe Heart Beat! performs benefit musical programs for thousands of children in schools, orphanages, hospitals and centers for the handicapped.

Each year, underprivileged and handicapped children from over 65 Karachi-area schools and institutes gather under balloon-decked tenting to enjoy the annual “Children’s Benefit Concert”, organized by Family Educational Services Foundation. Envision 4,000 children, all excitedly singing and dancing to the music of their favorite musical performers, followed by clowns whose antics bring squeals of delight as well as drama and interactive skits that involve many of the children from the audience.

What makes the event all the more special, these kids are being treated like VIP guests for the day.

On every other day of the year, these kids, gathered from dozens of different Karachi schools – many handicapped and all impoverished – rarely have the opportunity to attend any sort of event. Today though, this is their day, the ‘Children’s Benefit Concert’ held at the Parsi Institute, this special show organized just for them by Family Educational Services Foundation (FESF).

Various singing artists, including Shehzad Roy, Najam Sheraz, Hadiqa Kiani, Saleem Javed and Hayat Aloui from Morocco, have performed at FESF's annual Children's Benefit Concerts.

A great deal of the credit for the success of the event goes to the 100 FESF volunteers who help in preparing the concert, in serving each child ice-cream, drinks, and snacks, as well as assisting in other aspects, down to handling clean-up of the grounds afterwards.

They also help pack the 4,000 gift bags that are distributed to each one of the children and teachers after the show. These gift bags –- a sturdy canvas bag printed with a logo of the event – contain a souvenir magazine, a set of colored pencils, a toothbrush, cookies and more.

One school principal tells us afterwards how she marvels that all these children could just show up from different areas, and in just a few hours spent together form such a bond of friendship and love. She raves that her children had waited with expectation the whole past year for this event.

As the kids begin to file out at the end of the day, one little handicapped girl is trying to open her bag. As I reach down to assist her, she grabs my hand and face and says, “Auntie, thank you so much for today. It made me so, so happy!”

It’s difficult to capture in words the effect this concert has had on these kids. The motto of our annual show is “What Everybody Needs Is Love!” That pretty much sums up the need for such an event.