Waqar Younis – Former Cricketer
The famous cricketer, Mr Waqar Younis has strong commitment towards social issues and is a well-known celebrity in the society especially among the younger generation who take inspiration from their heroes and consider them as their role model and last but not the least he has no ambition for personal gains. Mr. Waqar Younis as the Goodwill Ambassador of Alzheimer’s Pakistan has taken upon himself the responsibility to raise awareness about Alzheimer’s disease and lobby with policy makers in Government, Civil Society, the Private Sector and local communities to gain support for Alzheimer’s PakistanHe has further committed to promote Alzheimer’s key messages at every opportunity and introduce Alzheimer’s cause at both national and international levels.
He would champion the cause of Alzheimer’s and participate in special events (e.g. TV shows, concerts, on-site visits, etc) whenever possible to highlight and discuss the key Alzheimer’s messages with specific target groups. Mr. WaqarYounis will also participate in the fund raising for the welfare activities of Alzheimer’s Pakistan. Mr. Waqar Younis has requested the nation through media to join hands with him and become members of Alzheimer’s Pakistan and support its services. More information on Alzheimer’s Pakistan and its services could be obtained by calling at 0300-4056009 or by logging onto its website www.alz.org.pk. He has said that there are around 1 Million people suffering from this disease in this country and these numbers are increasing sharply due to the increase in average age of Pakistanis.
However, the country is not ready to tackle this huge problem as there are no services available for people suffering from this disease. Mr. Waqar Younis has also requested the families having people with dementia to come forward and help us in breaking the stigma that people with Dementia are mad. He has said Alzheimer’s Pakistan has already made a day care center for Alzheimer’s patients in Lahore and requested the families to send their loved ones to the day care center so that they are looked after properly and the carers could also get some relief and respite.
Alzheimer’s Pakistan also plans to establish day care centers in other major cities of the country. Mr. Waqar Younis has also appealed to the government to provide required services to people with this disease and their families and also support Alzheimer’s Pakistan, the only non-government organization, striving hard to provide these services on its own.