Before we explain how you can help orphaned children in Pakistan, it’s important to highlight the reasons why your support is so vital.

Firstly, more than 70% of people in Pakistan drink water that is contaminated with deadly bacteria and viruses. Taps are not available to every person, hence many have to walk miles to collect water from reservoirs, lakes and rivers. Not only do animals often urinate in such locations, but 25 million people in Pakistan still defecate openly, and the waste often makes its way into water supplies.

The result is the spread of entirely preventable diseases, such as diarrhoea. More than 53,000 children lose their lives to diarrhoea every year, many of whom are orphans or live in deprived households. Other diseases also run rampant, such as Polio, which we know is completely avoidable.

For the children who do survive, life is hard. Conflict affects Pakistan deeply, with Al Qaeda and the Tehrik-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) routinely attacking innocent civilians. As a result, many children are left without one or even both parents, and rely on handouts to see them through. In many instances, children are forced to work. There is little to protect children against unfair and exploitative labour, mainly because 66% of births are not registered, so there is little documentation to protect the children.

Education is the greatest gift anyone can have as it opens countless doors and is the key to ending generational poverty. Unfortunately, almost 23 million children aged 5-16 are not in school, which is the second-highest number of children not enrolled in school on the planet.

If conflict, disease, forced labour and lack of education were not enough, Pakistan is extremely prone to adverse weather conditions. The country experiences intense droughts and devastating floods, making it nearly impossible for farmers to cultivate successful crops. The result is food shortages, and the issue is so bad that more than 10 million children have stunted growth because of malnutrition.

It’s clear that the situation in Pakistan is fragile. You can help innocent children by supporting our Global Orphan Appeal. Unlike other orphan charities, we work to not only build our own orphanages but to help existing orphanages boost their infrastructure and support the children under their care.

We do this by providing numerous forms of support including food aid so that all the children can get a nutritious meal, donating clothing so that every child has decent clothes, paying heating bills so children can stay warm over winter, and building classrooms at schools to extend education programmes.

On top of helping sponsored children in orphanages, we also help single orphans without sponsorship, by providing essential relief to deprived communities. From installing sanitation stations to building better homes and distributing food packages to widows, we aim to give communities the resources they need to be self-sustaining.

The only way we can provide the help and support our orphans desperately need is through our Global Orphan Appeal. We could not do any of this without your support and your donations. You can give once, give monthly or even fundraise for us. No matter how much or how little you give, you will make a positive change in an orphan’s life.

By supporting our Global Orphan Appeal, you will receive the rewards associated with Sadaqah Jariyah as the child will benefit long into the future. You may also donate as part of your Zakat obligation because you will be helping a person in need.

For those who want to make a first-hand difference, consider submitting an application to volunteer with us.