This incident changed how I think about charity in Pakistan
A few days ago, I was sitting with a friend who deals in used electronics,buying and selling second-hand items. A man came in to sell his refrigerator. At first it seemed like a normal transaction, but the reason behind it stayed with me.
He wasn’t upgrading or clearing space. He said he was forced to sell it because he hadn’t been able to pay his house rent for three months. The fridge was one of the few things left he could convert into cash to avoid being evicted.
My friend bought it from him, and I ended up contributing a small amount through my friend as well—nothing large, just what I could manage at the time. But what struck me wasn’t the transaction itself. It was how quietly this kind of financial pressure exists around us, completely invisible until someone is pushed to the point of selling basic household items.
It also made me reflect on something else: a lot of Pakistanis (myself included at times) tend to think of helping others in terms of big donations or organized charities. But moments like this make me question whether the more immediate need is often sitting in front of us, within informal networks—people who never publicly ask for help until they’re already in crisis.
I’m curious how others see this: do you think support is more effective through structured charities, or through direct help within personal networks back home?
