06^th of September 2022

Asalaamu ‘alaikum,

Many of you have seen the tragedy which has really impacted Pakistan. It’s unfathomable that 1/3 of the country where our organisation was founded in is underwater. We operate nearly 400 schools here; caring for orphans and providing a valuable education to vulnerable children.

But this crisis is one of magnitude, one you cannot truly understand without stepping foot on the ground, which is where I currently am. We at READ Foundation believe passionately that education is the route out of poverty. But to establish that we need communities to have food, clean water, hygiene kits and shelter. These are a basic human right. 33 million people have been affected by this flood. Nearly 500,000 homes have been washed away, infrastructure ruined, countless families have been left stranded with no food or water. You can feel the desperation, and see it in the eyes of the people we are helping.

It is because of the generosity and commitment of our donors, that we have been able to deliver from the outset.

I am in Mirpu Khas, Sindh right now. It is one of the worst hit areas in Pakistan. In this region alone we have given out 1,600 tents, with another 800 coming over the next few days. Every day we are giving out 1,000 hot meals, and over 1,000 food parcels have already been distributed. Two water tankers are here giving 650 litres every day.  And this is something we are scaling up daily. Thanks to the support of our donors we will be doing so much more.

The days are long and tiring, but every moment is worth it. The donations we receive, we make sure gets delivered. It really is a matter of life or death, so please keep supporting the work we are doing. May Allah SWT reward you all.

Thank you,

Jahangeer Akhtar

CEO, READ Foundation