24.3% of the population of Pakistan lives below the national poverty line. The primary driver of diseases, lack of education and opportunities, unemployment, and injustice, in our country is extreme poverty. We need to make a choice to make our donations count, altruism and philanthropy are in the blood of the nation; the amount of Zakat given by Pakistanis is huge. Pakistan is one of the most charitable nations, with 98 percent of people doing charity, monetarily or through volunteer work.
A charitable decision that you take, in which you intend to make a difference in the lives of people, makes the world a better place to live. Maximize the effects of your charity by staying conscious of how many will benefit from your charity, and how much you spend to benefit them, but also know how your charity will be used to benefit the masses.
Donate in a better direction, find out where your charity will have a greater impact, and aspire to change the quality of life of the people you help, to make a brighter future for them. It is important to be aware of what your charity offers, whom you give, and how you give, but also how the money will be used. Do your part in acknowledging the harsh realities faced by many in your society, and take responsibility for the malnourished and poverty-stricken. The facts and figures lay bare the issues of poverty; align your actions with the moral compass to show you the path. The larger concern for us as a society is that we can eradicate hunger and diminish poverty with our efforts collectively, but unfortunately, we haven’t done that yet as a society.
AAA Associates has made great strides in changing the condition of our community with its various humanitarian initiatives. AAA Associates believes to be morally aware, ethically right, and showing compassion through your donations. It is morally imperative for us to help the underprivileged in our society; we cannot grow unless all of us grow together.
Many of us live in lavish extravagance and are substantially privileged, it is only ethical to lead a life of shared blessings, where those who have lesser means to survive and throttle at the expense of daily struggles to fulfil small needs and bear with needless sufferings. We spend excess money on consumer goods, for example, fashion brands when competing for attention and we grab them like there is no tomorrow, while there is a brighter tomorrow, if we learn to share our blessings with the people who will suffice with any brand, be it a piece of old cloth turned into a garment. The Harvard Gazette published research, which concluded, that maximum happiness is attained when a person spends to benefit others.
Dreams come true where efforts combine! Charity, like meditation, is rejuvenating and purifying. Helping others is, in a way, helping yourself. It builds trust and compassion, and values and goodness are ingrained in our society.
MUHAMMAD SAGHEER
ISLAMABAD
