Sesame Street Heading To Pakistan
What do you think about the idea of the US government in sending Sesame Street to Pakistan? It won't be like the US version but will be set in a Pakistani village.
U.S. Airstrikes, aid and diplomatic offensives have achieved only marginal success in winning Pakistani hearts and minds, so American officials are now deploying their secret backup weapons: Bert, Ernie and Cookie Monster.
Funded by a $20 million grant from the U.S. Agency for International Development, the American children's TV program "Sesame Street" is heading to Pakistan. Filming begins this summer, and the show is set to debut in the fall. It'll feature furry muppets speaking mostly Urdu instead of English, in a Pakistani village setting.
U.S. Civilian aid to Pakistan has recently tripled to $1.5 billion a year, but that money -- invested in food aid, education and infrastructure -- has failed to woo all Pakistanis away from al-Qaida, anti-American sentiment or Islamic fundamentalism. So U.S. Officials are taking a different approach, hoping that "Sesame Street" can instill education values in very young Pakistani children, arming them with the learning tools to fend off extremism later in life.
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