Pakistan has seen a slow but steep rise in coronavirus cases in these past few months. The country has had 265K+ confirmed cases of the virus and has become one of the global epicenters of the pandemic. Pakistan’s political and economic history makes it uniquely ill-suited to contend with this immense challenge. Millions of people have become unemployed, been pushed under the poverty line, and seen their loved ones die as a consequence of this fatal outbreak. Perhaps worst impacted have been Pakistan’s many laborers who have lost their primary source of income, students who have been failed by online schooling and its barriers to entry such as internet connectivity, and domestic female workers who are no longer welcome in their workspaces. Yalies for Pakistan is hosting fundraisers for COVID-relief for our Pakistani community members, and are donating 100% of the proceeds to three main organizations: Karachi Bachao Tehreek, Women Democratic Front, and Press for Peace. We stand in solidarity with our laborers, students, and domestic workers!
Karachi Bachao Tehreek is an anti-eviction movement working in the Pakistani provincial capital, Karachi. They have set-up a fundraising campaign to provide relief to daily-wage earners during this time of crisis in the form of cash for rent and other basic necessities. They are also working on procuring and supplying personal protective equipment to doctors in hospitals in Karachi and Hyderabad. With the most recent floods in Pakistan, this organization is also working for flood-relief, a cause we hope to contribute towards.
Women Democratic Front is an independent socialist-feminist organization based in Pakistan. They have set-up a fundraising campaign alongside Karachi Bachao Tehreek to provide relief to daily-wage earners, specifically female domestic workers, during this time of crisis in the form of cash for rent and other basic necessities.
Press for Peace (PFP) is a not-for-profit organization mandated to strengthen and promote peace, sustainable development and community cohesion. Although the founding members of the PFP were journalists and media professionals, over the time the organization has attracted the attention of other working groups, especially youth, women, minorities, activists and professionals in different spheres of human interest. They are currently working to establish a Digital Literacy Center to support students in Gilgit Baltistan and Azad Jammu Kashmir take online classes with ease.
The fundraiser will manifest in three parts: a social media campaign to solicit donations, an online art sales fundraiser, and a fundraising event featuring prominent Pakistani artists. To contribute to our campaign, donations can be made via Venmo (@yaliesforpakistan) and PayPal (yaliesforpak@gmail.com).
The online art sales fundraiser can be accessed https://yaliesforpakistan.wixsite.com/2020. All art pieces are donated by Pakistani artists from across the world, and proceeds go completely towards our three main organizations of support.
Our fundraising event will be on September 20th, at 12:30 PM EST featuring performances by Ali Sethi, Jimmy Khan and Zeb Bangash. Register for the event at: http://bit.ly/3jtPT3G today!
We are hopeful in raising funds to support those being affected by COVID-19 in Pakistan, and appreciate any support on our behalf.
Yalies for Pakistan: Welcome to Yalies for Pakistan (YPAK)! YPAK is an organization dedicated towards bringing Pakistan to Yale’s campus through cultural celebration, social justice and advocacy, and educational initiatives. For the past few months, YPAK Board has been working hard to relaunch as an active, engaging organization at Yale. Although YPAK has existed at Yale since the early 2000s, recent events have compelled YPAK Board to seek a more active place on campus. The display, or lack of display, of Pakistani identity in the media often leaves many Yalies unaware of what it means to be Pakistani. As the status quo enables Pakistan to emerge in politics, and culture, YPAK has reignited its commitment towards acknowledging the Pakistani identity and creating a space for such conversations to occur.
This year’s board aims to represent the diversity of Pakistan in itself, international students from Pakistan and members of the diaspora. The board includes Alysha Siddiqi (President, YC ‘23), Kiran Masroor (Vice President, YC’23), Laiba Akhtar (Treasurer, YC’23), Iman Iftikhar (Political Chair, YC’23) and Zawar Ahmed (Marketing/Social Media Chair, YC’23). The board members are extremely excited to learn more about their Pakistani roots, and share it with others in the Yale/New Haven community! To contact the board, you can send them an email (yaliesforpak@gmail.com).