Charity in Chunks
Having been blessed with the divine gift of empathy and sympathy resulting in our inner self-satisfaction in the form of alms and charity, which we practice on a large scale as a nation. However, we have never tried to ponder that the charity we do individually in chunks does not benefit anyone permanently, nor does it help get anyone settled by getting enough to start a living. the answer is a big NO. Why? The answer lies in that the chunks of charity we occasionally give to individuals we come across on roads do not amount to a substantial figure, thus not enabling any genuinely needy person to materialize a plan for settling in life by developing a means for living.
If the same chunks of charity are accumulated at one place by forming some community clubs and having raised a considerable amount, could be used to help someone start a small scale business, it can contribute greatly in settling people and saving them from begging in future. The community needs to take the initiative and start working on the micro level, which could further lead to doing the same service on a larger and broader scale. so instead of doing charity in chunks, we should work in entireties to generate change.
Pakistanis, as a nation, give millions of rupees in charity, but still, we see a big majority of people living below the poverty line. What could be the reason? In a country where millions and billions of rupees are being given as charity, why could people’s quality of life not improve? The simple reason is the unplanned structure of carrying out this activity. We seriously and genuinely need to set up a community service system for the accumulation of alms and then use it to settle really needy people. The day we stop giving charity in chunks, we will see a change taking over.
