These Women From Karachi Are Keeping Abdul Sattar Edhi's Legacy Alive

By Momina Mindeel | 10 Dec, 2016

Amidst all the bedlam surrounding  the ever yawning gap between the haves and have nots in the country, a group of students from Karachi have taken it upon themselves to help bridge the gap between the privileged and the underprivileged.

 

Zahra Jamil, Barira Asif and Shaireen Waquas, Karachi based women, recently founded an organization called Reachout Pakistan, based on the ideas of youth empowerment and philanthropy marketplace.

The main idea behind the organization is to collect funds for all the other NGOs that are not amply funded in order to help them deliver their services to the community, more effectively and without anything obstructing their way.

Source: Zahra Jamil
Source: Zahra Jamil

“We are based on the ideology of a ‘philanthropy marketplace’, where people give more if they believe their donations are making a difference. To promote this giving culture, we aim to not only raise funds, but also involve you in the process by volunteering, and showing results of your kind donations. We are also based on the ideology of ‘youth empowerment’, where we understand the part the youth of Pakistan can play in developing the country, and cater to the social and economic issues we face on an everyday basis,” says one of the founders.

Zahra Jamil, one of the founders of Reachout Pakistan, while talking to Mangobaaz, exaplained, “coming across different non-profits set up in the country, we realized there are so many organizations striving to do something for our society but lack the resources to make it possible. Many of them just need a platform which can provide them with assistance in either monetary or non-monetary ways, or merely help them get their message across. With issues like illiteracy and lack of shelters for homeless people, to name a few, there is so much that each one of us can do to make a difference.”

Source: Zahra Jamil
Source: Zahra Jamil

 

Till date, Reachout Pakistan has carried out several funding campaigns for various under-funded NGOs in Karachi

Some of their bigger campaigns include organizations like Roshni Public School, Justuju Welfare Organization and other Ramazan related projects.

Source: Zahra Jamil
Source: Zahra Jamil

Barira Asif, another one of the founders of this organization explained how they came about the idea for their organization. “I think the first time we decided to provide such a platform was when we came across an orphanage that was asked to evacuate its premises because of lack of funds. 140 orphans were asked to pack their belongings and go back to where they came from, the streets”, she said.

“We saw the patrons of the orphanage struggling to meet the demands of the landlord, with social media being their only calling and donations being their only source of finance. There was a realization that when these charities are in need, they should have a way to reach out to Pakistan for help. I guess that can explain where the name came from.”

 

They recently organized a charity football game to donate funds to students enrolled in the Justuju School. 

The charity football match has been Reachout’s biggest event till date, told the founders. “Comprising of 4 A-level schools, Lyceum and Cedar vs. Southshore and Nixor, the entire stadium watched four amazing teams play against each other! It was a lively event with an audience of 700+.”

Source: Zahra Jamil
Source: Zahra Jamil

“Our asset is the youth as we believe that they can bring a positive change in the development of the country. We involve them in our fund-raisers and give them various ways to participate to instill a sense of philanthropy,” says Shaireen Waquas, the third co-founder of the project.

Reachout Pakistan has been incredibly successful in reaching their goals till date by making significant contributions towards empowering the already existing NGOs and they promise to carry on Abdul Sattar Edhi’s legacy of helping give back to Pakistan.

If you wish to donate or be a part of their, you can reach the organization here.

 


Cover Image Via: Reachout Pakistan/Facebook

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