Pakistan Aid
Pakistan has achieved significant success in reducing poverty across the country. However, millions of people still lack access to shelter, safe drinking water, nutritious meals, clean toilet facilities, medical care, education, electricity and heating. In fact, around 1 in 4 Pakistanis are currently too poor to meet basic needs.
Infant mortality is high, particularly in poor, rural areas, with 65 out of 1,000 children dying before they reach their 5th birthday. Malnutrition is also widespread, with many children wasting or experiencing stunted growth.
What’s more, the Covid-19 pandemic pushed 10 million more people in Pakistan below the poverty line. The lockdowns caused disruptions to supply chains, hiked up food prices, and deprived thousands of people of a regular income.
Read on to learn more about the emergency Pakistan aid that Zohra Foundation is providing for needy people in the disaster-stricken country.
How did the 2022 floods worsen poverty in Pakistan?
In 2022, Pakistan saw unprecedented rainfall during its annual monsoon season. This caused severe flash flooding across the region, which resulted in buildings, roads and villages being washed away and destroyed.
Acres and acres of farmland and thousands of livestock were swept up by the ravaging floodwaters, which sadly robbed people of their homes, livelihoods and asses. Tens of thousands of people have since been displaced and over 1,700 people have tragically lost their lives.
There are thousands of adults and children living at relief sites and makeshift displacement camps, who are in dire need of emergency care. Skin infections and waterborne diseases such as cholera are spreading fast among these surviving populations, but medical treatment is scarce and medical supplies are running low.
Moreover, the floods have placed enormous pressure on food and water systems. Food insecurity was already rife in Pakistan but now, the floods have destroyed water supply lines, crops and livestock, which has taken hunger levels to unprecedented levels.
The natural disaster has inflicted a staggering $30 billion in damages and economic losses, and further economic damage is expected.
What aid is Zohra Foundation providing for needy people in Pakistan?
Food and clean water
Zohra Foundation provides food packages and clean water to people living in impoverished conditions in Pakistan.
Sadly, too many people go hungry and thirsty every day, because they have no money to support themselves and their families. Malnutrition is rife among these vulnerable communities, which comes with a whole host of serious health issues including respiratory infections, chronic conditions and mental health issues.
Medical aid
Zohra Foundation has been providing free medical aid in Pakistan for over 5 years. Our medical packs, volunteer nurses and doctors travel across Pakistan to provide lifesaving medical treatment to thousands of men and women.
Our teams offer free health screenings, free medication and free follow-up visits to help detect and manage common diseases that affect the elderly. This includes home visits, carrying out medical procedures, and supporting families of patients with ongoing counselling and medical advice.
Essential supplies
Our team members at Zohra Foundation are on the ground in Pakistan, distributing emergency aid to people and communities in need. We are distributing essential supplies such as hygiene kits and tents, to help provide shelter and comfort to people who have had their lives torn apart by the devastating 2022 floods.
Shelter
At Zohra Foundation, our humanitarian assistance is funding shelter for people living in poverty, who have no place to call home. So many people live in painful conditions, with no running water, no food and no heating in the cold winter months.
Click here to support the Zohra Foundation Shelter campaign and help provide a roof over the heads of Pakistan’s most vulnerable communities.
‘Adopt a Grandparent’ scheme
Zohra Foundation runs an ‘Adopt a Grandparent’ scheme, to provide free medical treatment, food and shelter to the elderly.
In Pakistan today, the decreasing birth rates, increasing urbanisation and widening gap between rich and poor means many families can no longer support the elderly relatives in their family. Those elderly people who are able to live with their families often have to manage in small, cramped living conditions.
The elderly in Pakistan are reliant on others to survive. Even those who live alone need financial support for food and medical treatment.
Many elderly people are forced to live in silence and manage health conditions that could be improved or treated with medicine. Many of the elderly give up hope and today the suicide rate and depression amongst the elderly are rapidly increasing in Pakistan.
With our ‘Adopt a Grandparent Scheme’, for just £25 a month, you can provide the basic necessities to support an elderly person and relieve their caregivers of the financial burden.
Donating to an elderly person will offer them an opportunity to live their final days with the respect, dignity and honour that they deserve.
Dementia care
Here at Zohra Foundation, we provide dementia care for patients in need. Our dedicated dementia care team in Pakistan travel across the country to provide free psychological and medical support to patients.
We help individuals maintain their physical and cognitive well-being, and we educate caregivers about the progressive nature of the disease and consider how it can be managed at home. Without our dedicated nurses and doctors, thousands of elderly people in the country would be left neglected, isolated and struggling with this terrible condition.
Eye camps
At Zohra Foundation, we run eye camps for vulnerable communities across Pakistan. Our trained team members carry out routine eye exams to treat existing conditions and prevent further damage. We also offer free eye surgery and free glasses, to correct near and far-sighted impairment.
Click here to donate to our Eye Camps campaign, and give the gift of sight today.
Your donations mean that there will be greater awareness of eye health issues among the wider community, which will help elderly people get the medical treatment they need.
Care for orphans and children in poverty
There are thought to be around 4 million orphaned children in Pakistan. Losing one or two parents can throw a child’s future into jeopardy. Many orphans in Pakistan are affected by bereavement, poverty, natural disasters, malnutrition and disease.
In many cases, children are forced to beg in the streets or work in menial jobs to survive, which puts them at risk of abuse and robs them of education opportunities.
At Zohra Foundation, our Orphan Care Appeal ensures that orphans and impoverished children can access the essentials that they need to survive. Our aim is to provide care and financial assistance to as many of these children as we can.
For just £25 a month, you can provide free medical treatment, food and shelter to an orphan child and support to their caregivers. Give these vulnerable children an opportunity to have a better life with the dignity which they deserve.
It is our responsibility to care for orphans and we must not neglect those in need.
Click here to read our blog article on ‘how to sponsor an orphan in Pakistan?’
Why donate to Zohra Foundation?
There are so many teachings in Islam which emphasise the importance of donating to charity, for example:
“Protect yourself from the Fire even by [giving] a piece of date (as charity).” [Bukhari].
“The one who looks after a widow or a poor person is like a Mujahid (warrior) who fights for Allah’s Cause, or like him who performs prayers all the night and fasts all the day.” [Sahih Al Bukhari, Volume 7, Book 64, Number 265].
These beautiful quotes show you the importance of giving to charity- it allows you to earn great rewards, increase blessings in your life, and safeguard yourself on the Day of Resurrection.
Sadaqah Jariyah (continuous charity) is also an act which is very pleasing to God. The Messenger of Allah said: “When a man dies, all his good deeds come to an end except three: ongoing charity (Sadaqah Jariyah), beneficial knowledge and a righteous son who prays for him.”
Therefore, Sadaqah Jariyah is an excellent way to reap countless rewards for years to come. It is a truly impactful gesture, as it makes a huge difference for vulnerable communities.
Your Sadaqah Jariyah can help support multiple generations of a needy family, to help with their health, hunger and hygiene needs.
By supporting Zohra Foundation as part of your Sadaqah or Zakat, you will be saving the life of someone in need and fulfilling your Islamic duty to care for elders and the poor.
Does donating to Zohra Foundation count as Zakat and Sadaqah?
Yes. All projects at Zohra Foundation are Zakat eligible. You can choose to make a one-off donation or donate on a monthly basis.
Every able Muslim should pay Zakat every year, as part of one of the Five Pillars of Islam.
Zohra Foundation is proud to accept Zakat donations to financially support needy people in Pakistan. In the last six years, we have saved the lives of thousands of vulnerable adults and children across Pakistan through our free medical treatment and sponsorship programmes.
Click here to view the Zakat Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) and find out more.
Donate
Zohra Foundation is a London-based, UK-registered charity organization that aims to improve the lives of millions of orphans, widows and the elderly throughout Pakistan and respond to emergencies in other parts of the world.
Our teams are currently delivering emergency relief across Pakistan, following the devastating floods of summer 2022.
Donate to Zohra Foundation’s Pakistan Flood appeal here, or support our projects on medical aid, dementia camps, eye camps, ‘Adopt a Grandparent’ scheme or orphan sponsorship scheme here.
To learn more about Zohra Foundation, visit the website here.
To read articles on our blog, click here.