Fighting Hunger in Pakistan

What’s Happening?

In the last three years, over 1,500 children died in the Thar Desert, Pakistan due to malnutrition.

Sadly, this is nothing new for the district. Frequent drought kills not just people, but also the livestock that residents depend on for their food, milk, and livelihood.

The majority have little to no access to healthcare, and the average distance to the nearest health facility is 17km. 

These droughts are predictable and regular, making death avoidable. But corruption and a lack of coordination mean that government-sanctioned aid often doesn’t reach those who need it. 

The Tharparkar district is one of the harshest environments in the world. Without help, people will continue to die of starvation.

According to the WHO guidelines, if the Global Acute Malnutrition (GAM) rate among children and women is above 15%, it is to be considered an emergency situation. The GAM rate in Tharparkar District is even higher at 22.7% and the Chronic Malnutrition is 45.9%. (UN Children’s Fund)

What We Do

Our programme in the Thar Desert provides 10 schools with daily school meals. That’s over 2,000 students who are given freshly cooked food at school every day. 

Because of the drought, families were in constant migration in search of food. For the minority that could afford to send their children to school, moving meant children never had the chance to complete their studies.

Now that we guarantee schoolchildren a daily meal, families can settle in one place, and parents encourage their children to attend school and give them a better chance of escaping the poverty cycle.

Meet Deedar

Deedar is 7 years old and lives in Tharparkar. His father works as a labourer and his mother has some physical disabilities. Deedar comes from a big family consisting of five sisters and nine brothers. Their family, like most in the area, have lived here for generations and typically lived off the land. 

When he first enrolled, he had very low energy and could barely make it to school at times. He had a hard time focusing on studies. But once he began receiving regular meals and healthy snacks (milk and dates) he came to life as a joyful energetic boy. He loves to wrestle and play cricket with his friends. 

He has discovered a love for learning and wants to become a teacher one day. He has already inspired his siblings to go to school – four of whom have followed in his footsteps since he began studying.

Feed a child for 1 year – £120

Feed a child for 6 months – £60

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