This family run charity is based in a poor rural area of Faisalabad, Pakistan. It consists of a Free School for children, Free Doctor and a Dispensary, together providing education to the underprivileged children, and vital life saving medical advice and medicines to the poor in that area. These are services which the impoverished people in the area can hardly afford, and without which they would be deprived of the two most basic human rights in their lives. Of course, these and tens of other basic human needs we take for granted in our own lives, but they mean so much to the 200 school children, and hundreds weekly who are seen by the doctor and given appropriate medicines and if required, sent to relevant hospitals for further tests and treatments which are free to the patient.
Recently, the family had a meeting, and reviewed the whole project and came up with a few fresh ideas to take the project further. After talking to the people in the area, looking at other charities in nearby areas, and some discussion and of course looking at the funds available, it was decided to add at least three new aspects to the charity. First and foremost, as most of us would agree that a lot of the diseases in the third world originate from dirty or impure water, which of course is the only water avaialable to these unfortunate people. So it was decided to raise funds to set up a clean water facility at the site, providing precious pure water to the community. This hopefully will help in preventing diseases like cholera, hepatitis, viral gastroenteritis amongst many other dangerous and painful diseases.
The other facility we agreed necessary was a skill learning facility for young men and women of the area so that they can become finacially independent by being employed or setting up their own business in the future. These small units would teach everyday and useful skills such as computing, free courses on becoming a motor mechanic, electricain etc for the boys. And beautician, computing and dress making courses for the girls. Thirdly we felt that the charity facilities also had to be upgraded, as currently it is underdeveloped, and lacking in quality and resoures which the people who use them really deserve.
Lastly, it was felt that an ambulance service would be of critical use in emergency cases, as some patients need urgent transport to the nearest hospital, and a rickshaw or a wagon just would not be adequate in cases where every minute counts.
So we got estimates for both upgrading and building these new facilities and decided to begin to raise the required funds. Fortunately, the family has already donated enough land for this charity, which will accommodate the said facilities thus saving tens of thousands of pounds in purchasing new land. Additionally, tens of thousands have already been spent in setting up the existing facilities, which also require a lot of funds annually to pay for the running of the school, salaries for the teachers, the doctor and the costs of the medicines etc. But the existing funds are inadequate to take on the tasks mentioned above. though the family have committed to donate further towards these goals. To give the people of the area some basic facilities and human rights that everyone deserves, we do need help from more people. It really is a case of the Haves helping the Have Nots, the Fortunate Few lending a hand to the Unfortunate Many, who are after all our own Brothers, Sisters, Sons and Daughters, who breath and bleed just like us. They have the same needs, aspirations, hopes and dreams and feel the pain in very similar manner as us. We are one race, one species, one family. Only, when we, the Lucky Few, need to eat or drink we go to the supermarket or the kitchen and the fridge. They don't have a kitchen or a fridge. When we're ill or have an emergency we use the car or call the doctor. Our children go to schools and we don't have to worry about medical and education costs. These people only have what we're providing for them in their area, beyond that they don't have the money or the means for these very basic requirements of life.
Towards this, we ask for your kind help, which would alter these people's lives and give then some hope and dignity in their current undignified lives. Their conditions are through no fault of their own, but merely because of where they were born, and other such accidents of life. We could have been in their place, and probably wouldn't have looked too kindly at the people running around in cars and living with all the "luxuries" that we could only dream of. So far, science has been unable to prove that these people feel deprivation and pain any differently from the rest of us. Until they do, we need to show that we understand and feel their pain too. Thank you.
