Sesame Workshop 'Dismayed' By Pakistan Corruption Allegations - East Idaho News
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Sesame Workshop ‘Dismayed’ By Pakistan Corruption Allegations

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Getty 060512 SesameStreetMuppets?  SQUARESPACE CACHEVERSION=1338913460487Andrew H. Walker/Getty Images(ISLAMABAD) — The Sesame Workshop was “dismayed” to find out Tuesday that a $20 million U.S. program to beam Elmo and his pals in Pakistan has been halted because of allegations of fraud and abuse.

The project was a co-production between U.S.-based Sesame Workshop, and Rafi Peer Puppet Workshop, based in Lahore. Newspapers reported Tuesday that Rafi Peer was allegedly using the money given by the U.S. to pay off old debts, and rewarded lucrative contracts to sources. Other allegations include building a fancy residential complex featuring swimming pools with the U.S. funds.

“Sesame Workshop was surprised and dismayed to learn about the serious allegations made against Rafi Peer Theatre Workshop. Beyond what we have read in the press, we do not know the specific details of these allegations,” Sesame Workshop said in a statement.

“We hope that we’ll continue our work in Pakistan and anywhere else in the world. I think we have to go step by step here,” said Myung Kang-Huneke, executive vice president and general counsel of Sesame Workshop.

State Department Deputy spokesperson Mark Toner said the Pakistan Sesame Street Program totaled $20 million and that $6.7 million has already been spent by the Rafi Peer Theater Workshop.

The project was canceled after someone called an anti-fraud hotline set up by the U.S. Agency for International Development in Pakistan with a tip. The U.S. looked into the allegations of fraud and abuse and found them credible. A full investigation is still underway as to how and where the money was spent.

“No one is questioning, obviously, the value and positive impact of this kind of programming for children,” said Toner. “But this is about allegations of corruption.”

The program, called Sim Sim Hamara, or “Our Sim Sim,” launched to much fanfare in December, with plans to run for a full three seasons. It featured Elmo and a cast of local Pakistani characters, including a young girl in a lead role. Other characters included Munna, a 5-year-old boy who played the table drums, Baily, a donkey who loved to sing, and Haseen O Jameel, a crocodile living in a well.

It also featured a set, complete with houses, a school, and a restaurant that serves Pakistani cuisine.

In a country where one third of all young children do not attend school, the show was supposed to raise literacy, education, and tolerance.

Now, its future is in jeopardy. Rafi Peer says it is looking for alternate sources of funding, for now leaving the colorful cast of characters with nowhere to play and no songs to sing.

Copyright 2012 ABC News Radio

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