Every Ramzan there are appeals for donations to various charities, hospitals, welfare organisations, orphanages and so on. It seems every other person is either looking for a deserving recipient of donation or a donor in case he himself is a prospective recipient. Though this culture of giving continues in the country throughout the year, it is in this month that the activity is at its peak. The scale, according to independent estimates, is such that many charity organisations are able to cover their major expenses through this source of funding.

Looking at the trends, one finds that philanthropy in Pakistan exists in multiple forms including Zakat, Sadqa, Fitrana, volunteering-time and in-kind gifts. The driving force behind giving is primarily the religion but altruism cannot be ruled out either where people share their wealth with the deserving out of sympathy. Another major trend is that people prefer to go for individual giving as they know who the direct recipient is. This does not mean that the charity organisations do not get their share. They do, but it depends mostly on their credibility.

In addition to these, the government also deducts Zakat from deposits beyond a certain amount lying in savings accounts. The account holders have the option to avoid this deduction by submitting a declaration with the bank but the number of those who do not avail this option is quite big. The Zakat collected this way is distributed among the needy in different ways, including direct cash grants, covering of medical expenses at hospitals, imparting of technical and vocational education etc.

The News on Sunday looked into the trends and the motivations that make people spend on the deserving people and talked to different individuals in this regard. The responses have been shared here to give readers an insight into the overall scenario.

Dr Naushin Mahmood, Head of the Research Unit at Pakistan Center for Philanthropy (PCP) -- an independent non-profit support organisation based in Islamabad -- shares results of a study carried out by the organisation in Punjab in 2010. She says, "The study findings show that 63 per cent of all monetary giving in Punjab is directed to individuals and the remaining 37 per cent goes to institutions. Around three quarters of the donors help out beggars and disabled persons while around one-tenth of the givers help their relatives and friends through non-Zakat donations which are small in size." This amount, she says, may not be sufficient to meet the requirement of a needy relative or a neighbour. "So major part of non-Zakat giving goes to beggars and disabled who are generally open to accept very small amounts."

However, during the times of natural disasters and emergency situations, the preference changes and people rush to extend support to organisations with a better capacity to manage and disburse their donations in a natural disaster situation, she adds.

The idea that people give only in Ramzan and not otherwise may get support of many but not Adil Najam, Dean of the Pardee School of Global Studies at Boston University. He states, "My experience as well as what we find all over the world is that those who give, always give… and those who don’t just talk about it. Yes, some people give in this month but you will find that those who have the spirit also give throughout the year. Note how small shop owners, even rickshaw drivers will keep a few rupees handy and give something every day to someone needy. Ask them and they will tell you it is because ‘barkat aati hai.’"

He says during his fundraising experiences, he observed there are two things that are common everywhere. These are: "(a) everywhere you are amazed by the generosity of people, and (b) I have never ever met a person who thought they became poorer because they gave, in fact it is quite the opposite; those who give once will give again and again."

Najam, who has also published a book Portrait of a Giving Community: Philanthropy by the Pakistani-American Diaspora, says the literal meaning of ‘philanthropy’ is "love of fellow man" and adds, "I believe one of the most basic human instincts is to give. In fact, it is one of the things that make us human." He shares that as the Vice Chancellor for Lahore University for Management Sciences (LUMS) they were able to raise over Rs2 billion in gifts and philanthropy, mostly to support poor students to come to LUMS.

Coming to the value of the individual charity by Pakistanis, there are estimates that they give around $6.5 billion (Rs650 billion) in charity every year to mosques, seminaries, poor and homeless people, needy relatives, victims of terrorism and hospitals. This figure surfaced after a nationwide study on charity trends conducted by Pakistan Peace Collective (PPC) -- a research body of Ministry of Information, Broadcasting and National Heritage -- last year.

Does this pumping/circulation of money, especially in Ramzan, has got to do anything with inflation in this month. The answer coming from Najam is ‘no’. "Personally, I think the idea that inflation in Ramzan has anything to do with philanthropy and the higher buying power of the poor has no merit at all. It’s simple economics of supply and demand and in an environment with weak regulation. To lay it on the slightly increased buying power of the poor would be very unfair," he concludes.