‘Each one feed one’

It was not long ago that there was this popular slogan “Each one teach one”. This slogan was originally an African proverb that originated in the United States during slavery when Africans were denied education. When a slave learned how to read or write, it became their responsibility to teach someone else.

The idea was to spread knowledge for the betterment of their community. In Pakistan this movement was directed towards under-privileged children including thousands of domestic servants who are forced to work to support their families.

For some time there was a momentum in teaching underprivileged kids, including the house workers but this revolutionary programme seems to have lost its momentum and I do not see any activity with reference to such an ambition.

Now with the soaring prices of essential items, including such basic ones as rice and flour and the looming threat of more increases in the days to come, it might be a good idea to launch a new campaign titled “Each one feed one”.

This is really the need of the hour. Already many organizations have set up food kitchens around the city where food is being served to the needy on a daily basis but with the growing number of mouths to feed their efforts alone might not be sufficient.

Take for example just the area around the Shrine of Hazrat Abdullah Shah Ghazi. Hundreds of families from across the country live on the footpaths, lanes and roads around the shrine and though there is a steady stream of food being distributed by philanthropists it is not sufficient.

Some families are now living on the traffic islands opposite Beachview Park where not too long ago there was a famous foodie festival. I saw little children half clad in biting cold staring at the merriment and perhaps wondering why they are hungry when such delicacies are just across the road and being promoted at full volume.

These children and their families also survive on the philanthropy of motorists that pass by. In the morning they are lined up across from a local Dhaba waiting for some motorists to stop and pay the owner some money that will provide them tea and parathas. Last time I inquired it was Rs.100 for one cup of tea and one paratha which price I am sure must have gone up by now after the stunning spike in prices of commodities of daily use.

This not only provides the hungry families with some sustenance but also keeps the Dhaba owner’s business running.

This mode of philanthropy in which the end winners are really the restaurant owners has spread quickly around the city. Many small restaurants are now openly inviting motorists to stop and sponsor a few persons for lunch, dinner or morning tea.

Large boards announce the price of food per person and many motorists stop to pay for food for the number of people they can afford. Patrons of these restaurants also advice the owner to give food to a few for which they will pay before they themselves sit down to eat.

To those of us who have lived in this port side city since its early days the present scene is frightening and alarming. I remember when in the seventies and eighties we had visitors from abroad we would tell them proudly that there are hundreds of Indians who sleep on the roads but this phenomenon is nonexistent in Pakistan and specially Karachi.

All that has now changed and now there are hardly any streets where you will not find beggars either banging on your car window or sleeping on the footpaths around busy streets. With each passing day they are also getting more persistent and at times even hostile.

What has kept poverty in check to some extent is the extraordinary tilt of the well-to-do in Pakistan towards philanthropy. Pakistanis donate around Rs554 billion annually towards charity each year and this is apart from the distribution of meat during Eid Ul Azha and other charitable actions during other religious occasions.

Certain governmental schemes also help though their free and impartial distribution are usually doubted and questioned. All in all it is not a very rosy picture as financial troubles at the top have a trickle-down effect and therefore test the limits of poor people’s dignity.

Let us try to do our part in sharing the burden of poverty with the poorest in our midst. Together we can face these extraordinary circumstances and not only help the poor but also do our part to keep our society stable and our future secure.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2023