![]() ![]() There is no way of knowing exactly how much people donate collectively in a year as it is usually done quietly by families. How much of this actually reaches the targetted beneficiaries? My guess is as good as yours. The total pro-poor spending by the government, even if one includes spending on social facilities such as education and health besides the Benazir Income Support Programme of Rs84 billion, does not go much beyond Rs200 billion. The total quantum of giving in Pakistan is projected to be a whopping Rs200 billion in the current year. ![]() The culture of giving seems to be compensating, though partially, for the neglect of the needy by the state. It also explains why the some of the biggest and most prestigious philanthropic organisations of the world such as Edhi Foundation, Sindh Institute of Urology and Transplantation, Citizens’ Foundation, Shaukat Khanum Hospital among others are located here. Little wonder that the face of poverty in urban Pakistan, despite sluggish Gross Development Product (GDP) growth, is not as horrific as it is in galloping India and other countries of the region. The desperate poor collect information of approachable dispersal points to get help in cash and kind and philanthropic institutions invest liberally to mobilise funds using moving messages, images and appeals through print and television as well as leaflets, billboards and banners. Khairat, fitra and other forms of donations are also made in this month. The philanthropic organisations, therefore, strategise to collect funds when people are believed to be more generous. Usually people prefer to distribute Zakat, the mandatory minimum, as soon as the month starts. Anecdotal evidence hints that at least 60pc of all Pakistani households support charitable causes or give directly to those in need. ![]() Islam ordains Muslims to spend at least 2.5pc of their accumulated wealth on the needy. The fact supports the perception that the culture of giving in Pakistan is rooted in the dominant belief system in the country. While charity is given all year round, the donations dispersed in Ramazan are estimated to be more than what the nation doles out during the rest of the 11 months put together. Pakistanis privately spend about as much as the government to pull less fortunate fellow citizens out of the depths of poverty and derivation. ![]()
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