When Noor Afshan’s husband passed away suddenly, her life collapsed overnight. Only 33, and left alone with three young daughters, she found herself in a hostile environment. With no parents of her own to turn to and her in-laws pressuring her to marry her late husband’s bedridden, unemployed elder brother, Noor faced a heartbreaking choice: submit to a life of quiet desperation—or walk away into uncertainty.
She chose the latter.
With the help of a distant cousin, Noor escaped her in-laws’ home, taking her daughters with her. But with nowhere to go, they ended up in a generator room on the rooftop of a commercial building in Karachi—a stifling, windowless space not meant for human habitation. The heat was suffocating, the noise relentless, and the nights long and sleepless. “There were times I thought we wouldn’t survive it,” Noor said.
During the day, Noor worked as a teacher at a low-paying private school, struggling to feed her children. At night, she would fan her daughters to sleep amid the whirring machinery and unbearable heat. Yet, through it all, she kept her daughters in school, refusing to let their dreams be buried by poverty.
Her turning point came when someone told her about the Orphan Family Support Program run by Alkhidmat Foundation Pakistan—an initiative providing structured financial and emotional support to families like hers. Noor filled out the forms. Her situation was verified, and soon she began receiving monthly aid that covered school fees, books, uniforms, healthcare, and essential nutrition for her children.
“It was the first time in years I felt seen,” she recalled.
That Ramadan, her daughters were invited—alongside hundreds of other orphaned children—to an Eid shopping event organized by the foundation. “Each child was told to pick whatever they liked, within a fixed budget,” Noor said, tears brimming. “My girls bought new clothes—they hadn’t worn anything new in years. How could I ever thank the people of Alkhidmat?”
The next miracle came from a Pakistani woman now settled in Canada, who donated a modest apartment to the foundation. Today, Noor and her daughters live in that home—with two bedrooms, a small balcony, bathrooms, and a kitchen. “At first, they couldn’t sleep,” Noor said. “They weren’t used to the silence, to the comfort. From the corner of a generator room to a home—it still feels like a dream.”
Noor now helps other widows and orphans access Alkhidmat’s services, guiding those in distress to a path she once had to find alone. “I know their pain. If I can help even one mother avoid the humiliation I went through, then maybe all this suffering had a purpose.”
But Noor’s story is just one of thousands.
According to the United Nations, there are more than 4.6 million orphaned children in Pakistan, most of them under the age of 17. These children—many of whom are victims of poverty, conflict, or disease—are often denied basic rights such as education, healthcare, and protection. Globally, UNICEF estimates over 153 million orphans, but Pakistan's orphan crisis is uniquely severe due to deep-rooted social stigmas, institutional neglect, and a weak safety net for widows.
Alkhidmat Foundation, Pakistan’s largest nonprofit dedicated to orphan welfare, is currently supporting more than 32,000 orphan children through its Orphan Family Support Programme. Under this model, financial assistance is deposited directly into the accounts of the widowed mothers or legal guardians, enabling them to live with dignity while caring for their children.
Speaking to The News, Shoaib Hashmi, Senior Manager Media & Public Relations at Alkhidmat Foundation Pakistan, said:
“We don’t just provide monthly stipends. Our program is structured—covering education, food, healthcare, clothing, psychosocial support, and character development. We also conduct annual medical screenings for the orphans and their mothers.”
In many cases, widowed mothers are offered interest-free microfinance loans to start small businesses—selling clothes, running tuitions, or setting up kitchen-based enterprises—so they are no longer dependent on charity. “The aim is to empower the family unit, not just sustain it,” Hashmi emphasized.
Beyond home-based support, the foundation operates 22 high-standard residential facilities known as Aghosh Homes, where over 2,000 orphaned children without guardians live in a structured, secure environment. These homes provide education, regular meals, healthcare, recreational activities, and trauma-informed psychological care. Nine more such homes are currently under construction across Pakistan.
In 2024 alone, Alkhidmat Foundation spent Rs342 million on orphan care initiatives. “That figure tells you both the scale of the problem and our commitment to solving it,” said Hashmi.
Yet what truly sets Alkhidmat apart is the dignity with which it treats its beneficiaries.
“We are not in the business of handing out charity,” Hashmi said. “This is about human dignity. These children are not a burden—they are the future of this country. Every child deserves to grow up with love, protection, and opportunity.”
As Eid-ul-Azha approaches, Alkhidmat is calling upon individuals and families across Pakistan and the diaspora to donate their Zakat, Sadaqat, and other charitable contributions toward orphan support.
“Noor Afshan’s story is just one,” Hashmi said. “There are thousands more. Children waiting for someone to believe in them. Widows waiting to be seen. All it takes is one contribution, one act of compassion, to change everything for a family that’s lost everything.”
Those wishing to support Alkhidmat Foundation can visit https://alkhidmat.org/donate, call their helpline at 0800-44448, or donate via Meezan Bank, Account No. 02140100861151. The foundation also facilitates cash pickups and accepts in-person donations. “What might feel small to you,” Hashmi concluded, “could be a child’s first step toward hope.”