A new children’s TV program developed with the Sesame Workshop debuted in Pakistan this month.

Sim Sim Hamara is developed with the guidance of the people who created Sesame Street and a $20-million US grant from U.S. AID, a government agency frequently used to further U.S. diplomatic interests abroad.

Sherrie Westin, executive vice president of the non-profit Sesame Workshop, calls the program an excellent opportunity to reach 3.5 million Pakistani children, about one million of them without access to any form of education.

In an interview with Jian Ghomeshi, host of CBC’s Q cultural affairs show, she explains that the program is not an export of the American show, but a Pakistani program with Muppet characters developed to show children to themselves.

Elmo is still part of the team, but the cast also includes Rani, a six-year-old girl who loves science and reading, as well as a crocodile and a woman who introduces children to Pakistani traditions.

Westin addresses criticism that the project is a form of American cultural colonization and that $20 million could be better spent.