Pakistan- A Charitable Country

The act of giving to others and helping them is part of being a philanthropist. The world is full of problems. You will not see anyone who is trouble-free. There are various social, ethnic, and cultural matters. On top of that, economic deprivation is another serious problem. People living below the poverty line are in sad conditions. They are unable to manage meals for their day. In such circumstances, the majority of poor people depend on charity and help from other people. Pakistan being a charitable country has a lot to offer.

Pakistan: A Charitable Country

Giving others brings a feeling of peace and warmth. It helps people stay grateful for one another. The act of charity promotes healthy relations. People respect each other more. People become more generous. They give others space. They learn to accommodate one another. People remove materialism from their hearts. It helps bring everyone on an equal level. The act of charity removes hatred and anger from the hearts. It brings people closer to one another. It solves financial and social problems. Also it helps eradicate crime from society. People do not hurt one another in any way when they know that their financial matters can be easily handled through help from others. In other words, charity can surely help the world become a better place.

The Philanthropic Nation

Pakistan is a country that believes in doing good for the downtrodden. This is why the country is known to be a philanthropist in the truest sense of the word. Our people contribute 1% of their GDP as charity. This ratio is equivalent to the charity given by wealthier nations like the United Kingdom and Canada. A recent study showed that Pakistanis donate more than 2 billion dollars to charity every year. This investigation also revealed that more than 98% of Pakistani citizens in one way or another contribute to needy and noble causes.

In the World Giving Index of 2017, Pakistan climbed 14 positions upwards in just one year.

Types of Charity

The people of Pakistan donate under numerous categories of charity: Fitrana, Sadaqah, and Zakat. The Fitrana is basically a form of food donation. This charity is given before the Eid prayers by the end of Ramadan. This charity is done by every Muslim. Fitrana is to be given by Muslims who are adults and are self-supporting. If these Muslims have excess food, which is beyond their needs, they can share that food as fitrana.

Fitrana can be done on the behalf of the dependents. The Sadaqah is the money given to the poor just out of goodwill and love for Allah. It is recommended to give Sadaqah out of one’s earnings to the poor because it helps bring more goodness and wellness to the person who is giving it.

The Muslims believe that giving Sadaqah protects them from all kinds of evils and bad incidents. The Zakat is a fixed annual amount that every Muslim is bound to give out as charity. This amount is calculated on any material/wealth possession which has been kept unused. The Zakat is applicable to the following things: cattle, camels, sheep, fruit, food grains, silver, gold, money, property, and goods. The Muslims believe that giving out Zakat every year purifies their income and adds blessings to Allah in it.

Individual and Collective Charity

Many reports have concluded that the majority of donations are done by Pakistanis on an individual basis. Pakistanis prefer to directly give to the needy rather than depending on a charitable organization. Another survey revealed that 67% of Pakistanis say that they prefer to give charity to individuals. While 33% Pakistanis say that they prefer to give charity to trustworthy charitable organizations. In another report, it was highlighted how in every province, including KPK, Balochistan, Punjab, and Sindh people preferred to donate to individuals in cash and not depend on organizations at all.

Reports have highlighted that Pakistan is a charitable country. Pakistanis need to trust their charitable organizations more so that the charitable efforts are documented. Moreover, these efforts can help in developing a more sustainable and prosperous society on the whole. Studies also recommend that the organizations should also come transparent and implement procedures that help the donors trust them. It is only through such means that we can make Pakistanis develop trust and faith in the organizations once they know that their money is being spent in the right manner for the right cause.

Pakistan Centre for Philanthropy

The PCP is a great initiative by the government of Pakistan. It helps in bridging the gap between individual donors and charitable organizations. The main purpose of this organization is to certify trustworthy organizations. In other words, those charitable organizations which have been approved by PCP are the ones that can be trusted by the donors.

The complete directory of trustworthy charitable organizations has been uploaded by the PCP on their official website as well.

The link to that list is: https://pcp.org.pk/ Besides this, another purpose of this organization is to keep a tab on donations regularly conducted. It helps in presenting a transparent system when it comes to donations. Over 3000 organizations have been registered with a license from PCP. Newer organizations can also register for their certification and approval through their official website.

Charity Organizations Working in Pakistan

Pakistani society considers charity a significant part of its community. Pakistan is a charitable country. The charity organizations help the poor, orphans, underprivileged communities, and elderly people. With the population expansion in Pakistan, many people are living a miserable life. That is below the poverty line. There are many notable rich Pakistanis who tend to help by donating large amounts of money every month to these charitable organizations.

Edhi Foundation

Abdul Sattar Edhi was the founder of this organization. It is one of the most prominent charity organizations in Pakistan. Not just in Pakistan, this organization reached pinnacles of fame the world over. All over the world, people feel amazed to see how a big organization like Edhi could run on a non-commercial basis and just on charity.

Edhi foundation provides shelter to orphans, abandoned kids, and elderly people. The founder of this organization, Abdul Sattar Edhi, started this foundation in 1947. With the passage of time, it became the largest one in Pakistan. Edhi Foundation has more than 1500 ambulances throughout Pakistan. It is ready to handle and provide emergency health services through these ambulances as well.

Shaukat Khanum Foundation

This foundation was established by Imran Khan, the world-famous cricketer of Pakistan. He showed an amazing performance in every field he entered. Whether it’s sports, charity, or politics, Imran Khan has been truly blessed. After his cricket career ended, Imran Khan thought to bring his fame to good use. He wanted his fans to generate donations that could be used to help cancer patients in particular. Imran decided to do so, particularly, after his mother passed away due to cancer. He realized how painful and costly this disease is. His aim was to give free-of-cost treatment to needy cancer patients. He wanted the best professional doctors to be a part of this team.

With help from people around the globe, Imran Khan was able to set up the first hospital called Shaukat Khanum Cancer Hospital. This particular hospital was inaugurated in the year 1994. The hospital has modern machinery and advanced technological tools to detect and treat cancer. The organization still welcomes charity to run its work for a noble cause.

Chhipa Welfare Association

This particular charitable organization was launched in 2007. It was started by Ramzan Chhipa. He is a renowned social worker who decided to initiate this idea. His purpose was to bring ease to the lives of needy people. This organization’s purpose is to help humanity in any way possible. They help people regardless of their race, ethnicity, caste, or color.

Chhipa helps in managing funerals, taking care of orphans, giving food to the poor, providing ration packages to the needy, and helping in health emergencies. Chhipa serves more than 1000 people every day. The organization has an easy to use App and website to gather donations from people. The head office of this organization is located in Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan.

The Citizens Foundation

This charitable organization was launched in 1995. It was a collective effort by a group of citizens of Pakistan, a charitable country. They wanted to bring a transformation in the field of education. Their focus was to ensure the provision of education to underprivileged children. The purpose of this organization is to remove the class distinction and make education free for all. TCF believes that education can help uproot evil from our society. It believes that every child has a right to education.

In just the span of 26 years, TCF has been able to create more than 1600 schools in Pakistan. There are more than 0.2 million students enrolled in these schools so far. The schools are specifically built in the Urban slums of Pakistan and the rural areas. They ensure to provide quality education to the students. The schools focus on the holistic development of the students as well.

They also have training programs to help teachers learn the art of teaching. Besides that, they also have volunteer programs where youth can enroll themselves. They can help the organization in any way possible through this program. The TCF also provides vocational training, installs clean water purification plants, and empowers women through schooling.

Shahid Afridi Foundation

It is a registered foundation and is being launched by Shahid Afridi. He is a world-famous cricketer. This foundation has so far helped more than 20 villages. It has treated more than 190,000 patients. The organization has been registered worldwide too. It has chapters in South Africa, the UK, Australia, and the USA.

The purpose of this organization is to facilitate people in education, rehabilitation, water access, healthcare, and emergency situations. The organization has managed to open 14 schools all over Pakistan so far. There are more than 4200 students enrolled in these schools so far. This organization has managed to achieve its annual goals regularly. It continues to work on such social and economic projects for the betterment of the country and humanity.

Aurat Foundation

This charitable organization is working to bring females and males to an equal level. It helps women have a voice. It is one of the leading organizations in Pakistan for women. The purpose of this organization is to help women stand on their own feet, have financial stability, and fight violence against women. This organization came into being in 1986 to help women earn self-respect in Pakistani society. It helps women sort out their issues and support them in every way possible. The organization is also working on training women to gain skills and start working online from the comfort of their homes.

Sahara For Life Trust

This organization was launched by the famous singer of Pakistan, Abrar Ul Haq. The purpose of this trust is to provide ease to needy Pakistanis whether it is in the form of health or education. The organization has managed to create a complete medical complex by the name of Sughra Shafi Medical Complex in Narowal. This hospital is laden with the latest technology and can treat most of the diseases with proper treatment. It provides free of cost treatment to poor people who are unable to afford such facilities.

This hospital presently has 600 beds and caters to more than 4 million people living in the vicinity. It provides 24/7 emergency services too. The hospital has managed to treat over 400,000 people in the past year.

Al-Khidmat Foundation

This charitable foundation is located in the vicinity of Lahore. This foundation got its verification from PCP in 1990. The foundation helps in disaster management particularly. This organization helps people stuck in floods in faraway areas in Pakistan. The organization has worked for promoting education as well. Besides these projects, the foundation has launched projects for providing clean water, ambulances, medical camps, and schools in underprivileged areas of Pakistan.

Aga Khan Foundation

This NGO strives to make the lives of village people better. It provides support to sort their social and economic issues. Moreover, it focuses on provision of education, health and infrastructure in rural and far-flung areas of Pakistan. This foundation was established in 1967. This organization is not just restricted to Pakistan. It helps communities world wide. For example, it has set up a community support program which has helped over 14,000 people to get employment. Moreover, it provides for more than 21,000 social workers to help others in reaching healthcare facilities. The foundation has helped Kyrgyz Republic people to get access to clean water in 85 different locations.

Saylani Welfare Trust

This organization was set up in 1999. It helps people in coming out of the poverty cycle. The organization tries to give a dignified life to people. It provides quality education, food, medical and social facilities to needy people. It feeds thousands of people everyday. The organization has branches all over Pakistan as well as in the UAE and the USA. Overall, the organization helps more than 150,000 needy people every day. They provide family adoption services too.

Saylani Welfare Trust provides monthly medical and educational facilities as well. They take online donations too and this can be accessed through their website https://www.saylaniwelfare.com/home

Conclusion

These big names and examples show how much charity work is being done in the country. We are proud to see so many organizations working to make our world a better place for everyone. As Pakistanis, we should support such initiatives and try our best to do our little bit. Helping each other will build us stronger as a nation. It will help us prosper and solve our issues ourselves. Let’s not wait for someone else to come and sort things for us. Let’s huddle together and start the initiative today!

HouseofPakistan

Pakistan – A Philanthropic Society That Believes in Giving