As Ramadan approaches, the suffering of millions of rural Pakistanis who lack access to pure and nutritious food has been intensified by the pandemic. Because Ramadan is the month of benevolence, Paani needs your help in alleviating their suffering by providing food to families who desperately need our help.

The Prophet (saw) said, "Whoever feeds a person breaking his fast will earn the same reward as him, without anything being lessened from the reward of the fasting person". (Tirmidhi)

The Situation

In recent years, Pakistan has produced more food than its population consumes and has become a major producer of wheat and rice. However, the poorest and most vulnerable people in Pakistan cannot afford a sufficient and nutritious diet despite the overall growth in food production. Chronic poverty, recurring disasters, and political and economic volatility drive undernutrition and food insecurity in some areas of Pakistan. More than 20 percent of Pakistan’s population is undernourished, and nearly 45 percent of children younger than five years of age are stunted, according to the UN World Food Program (WFP). This is linked to the fact that most of these people are heavily dependent on agriculture for a living. Given the COVID-19 pandemic, this already dire situation has descended into a full-blown food shortage crisis.

The Crisis

31% of families in rural Pakistan are already living below the national poverty line, with many relying on their daily wages to provide food for their families. Imagine families living day to day that is now forced to choose between watching their families starve or risking illness to provide some income for their families. Imagine looking toward a government that is currently burdened beyond its limitations. Paani wants to make the choice easy.​

With our team working around the clock in Sindh and KPK, Paani is fundraising in an effort to distribute food to families in rural parts of Pakistan during this crisis. The Paani team will use these funds to provide at least one month of food for over 200 families. These are children, mothers, and fathers who will eventually starve without food. Paani is also organizing its efforts in conjunction with different district governments, who desperately need help with food distribution. Our team has ensured that we are adhering to the strict regulations as set by the Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC) in the United Nations on the safest methods of food distribution during the COVID-19 Outbreak.

For those who are blessed with financial stability and can offer support, please consider this request to help our brothers and sisters from marginalized communities who do not have the same stability and resources as some of us have. Paani has always strived to be a platform to work with the most disenfranchised communities and with your continued love and support we can continue to fulfill our responsibility to help. For those who cannot donate monetarily, we humbly ask for your prayers. Please consider this request and contribute whatever you can.

From the Paani Team, we appreciate all of your contributions and prayers. Our brothers and sisters will get through these difficult times.

What is Paani?

Featured in the LATimes, Parhlo, and USAToday, Paani is a 501(c)(3) non-profit founded in 2018 in response to the growing water crisis in Pakistan. Lead by young professionals and university students, Paani is entirely volunteer-based and works to create a public health-based impact in Pakistan. In the past year, we have raised over $700,000, built over 1,000 wells in rural parts of Pakistan (both in Sindh and in KPK), worked to send $500,000 in medical equipment to hospitals in Pakistan, and are now working to implement sanitation/hygiene-based curriculum in schools. For any questions, please don't hesitate to contact us on any of our social media platforms

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