Kindness and helping the people in need is a universal norm that is hidden inside every human being. It only requires a platform, a motivation for its expression. Wall of Kindness has proved a platform and motivated people to help the needy.
The idea of Wall of Kindness started from Iranian city of Mashad and now it has reached Pakistan. After Karachi, Lahore and Peshawar, Quetta also welcomed its Wall of Kindness on Valentine’s Day.
The idea behind wall of Kindness it to collect different household items from people such as Clothes, Shoes, Shawls, Jackets, sweaters etc and hang them on a wall from where the needy people can collect them free of cost.
In Quetta, this activity was made possible by over 60 volunteers of Quetta Online group which is a social media based group of volunteers. With the help of its volunteers that included painters, artists and photographers, Quetta Online team created a Wall of Kindness adjacent to Zarghoon Road Quetta which is stone’s throw away from red zone of the city.
Graffiti on wall on Kindness read “This wall of Kindness is a wall of support for the needy.”
Needy people in huge numbers showed up at the Wall of Kindness and Picked and chose items for their need and left with faces radiant with joy.
Zia Khan, founder and team leader of Quetta Online said, “We aimed to spread the message of positivity by indulging youth in a positive act such as Wall of Kindness on Valentine’s Day.”
Members from civil society and media turned up in huge numbers to express their appreciation for Wall of Kindness.
“I don’t want this activity to be restricted to just one wall but rather it should spread to different places in Quetta city,” said Shumaila Ismail a volunteer of Quetta Online.
She further added, “Activities like Wall of Kindness should be spread to other cities of Balochistan which are far away from the provincial capital.”
Shumaila Ismail proposed the idea that the unconsumed food in households and restaurants should also be distributed among the under-privileged people using a wall of kindness like activity.
Pedestrians who walked by the Wall of Kindness showed their interest in the activity and appreciated the volunteers who made it possible.
Hamayoun Kasi, a development professional and civil society member, said “While the nation remained confused whether to celebrate Valentine's Day or not Quetta Online fellows came up with outstanding idea of sharing love with the poor and needy.”
Mr. Kasi added that Volunteers brought clothes, shoes, sweaters, jackets and many more items from their homes and distributed among the deprived sections of our society.
“This was our Valentine's Day and we celebrated it by spreading love with the needy,” Mr. Kasi said.
Abdullah Achakzai, an artist and Quetta Online Volunteer, was of the view that kindness and compassion is widespread in society and only requires a platform where it can be manifested.
“ Wall of Kindness provided a platform to people of Quetta where they shared their love with other brothers,” added Mr. Achakzai.
Expressing his gratefulness to be a part of this activity, he said “ Wall of Kindness removed the barriers of language and religion among people and provided that humanity in its purest form is still intact.”
Zia Khan vowed that In the future Quetta Online will continue working on initiatives like Wall of Kindness to spread message of love and compassion in society.
He also thanked local government and district administration of Quetta for allowing the permission and extending full support for wall of Kindness event.