|
In 2002 Parveen Saeed,
a resident of Surjani Town, heard news of a woman who
had murdered her two children because she was unable
to feed them, and could not bear to watch them slowly
starve to death. Parveen thought that surely there is
enough food in Pakistan that no one need go hungry,
so she started Khana Ghar, a small dhaba in Khuda Ki
Basti in Karachi, where she provides a full meal (one
roti and saalan) to any one who wants to eat for only
3 rupees.
Previously Parveen
had been funding the Khana Ghar herself, and with whatever
sporadic donations she could get. The objective of this
group is to organise a regular source of funding, so
that the Khana Ghar can operate without having to struggle
to obtain supplies.
If we all give Rs
1,000 a month, Khana Ghar could run independently of
one-off donors, and Parveen Saeed can look into opening
other establishments in equally needy areas.
Thanks to the regular
contributions of donors since August 2008, Parveen Saeed
was able to open a second Khana Ghar in Korangi in February
2009, doubling the number of people who eat at least
one square meal a day. In July, she opened a third establishment
at Gulshan-e-Surjani, taking the total number of people
who benefit to over one thousand! We need to keep these
regular contributions continuing, and increasing, so
that Khana Ghar can expand to cater to more people.
For those wanting
to contribute, Khana Ghar bank details are as follows.
Parveen Saeed would
love to hear from you to address any questions you might
have. She'd also love to meet you, should any of you
want to go see how Khana Ghar functions for yourselves.
Her phone number is 0300-921-2136.
If you feel
this is a worthwhile cause, then please pass the story
onto your family and friends. And remember, it's not
about how much we give, it's about being regular with
donations.
|
