When it comes to donating there is no dearth of causes that deserve attention and support. There are many traditional fundraising activities which are common in Pakistan such as advertisements, events like carnivals and donation drives. Now social media and technology is also being explored for this cause and it is the most vibrant and cost-effective source to reach out to people and to catch the attention of the interested individuals. Many charity organisations are using technology to generate funds like they send out text messages and the interested individuals can reply to in order to make a donation.

Mainly there are two types of charities – charity for religious institutions and charity for welfare organisations. Be it any form, the Pakistani nation is ranked high among most charitable nations in the world. Most people believe that giving charity is a sacred duty, be it a small act of inserting a couple of coins in a donation box or donating in hundreds of thousands of rupees to a charity or welfare organisation. Some prefer to give charity because they believe that they do not get anything in return from the state in terms of services for paying taxes. Whatever the motive, data shows that people readily give charity in Pakistan.

People keep donating round the year but still most people opt to donate or do charity work during the month of Ramadan. Social charities provide essential services that positively impact the lives of citizens by building hospitals, schools and orphanages. Most of the people in our country don’t get proper medical treatment. The government hospitals are over burdened and are unable to impart proper medical treatment to every patient.

This is why donating and raising funds for philanthropic cause can be a daunting exercise. In this regard everything counts, like how and where the funds are used and how much transparency there is in the process. For these one has to reach out to potential sponsors. There is one such institution which meets all these criteria and that is the Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital and Research Centre (SKMCH&RC). It is a prestigious institution which is providing free of cost treatment to 75 percent of its patients. After Lahore and Peshawar the third one is under construction in Karachi. A walk-in clinic is also working in Multan which is facilitating the patients from southern Punjab and Balochistan. In order to complete the ongoing projects and also to provide cancer treatment to the maximum number of patients, it needs more funds. There are many types of donation for this hospital in which one can be fully satisfied that his donation is used properly and honestly.

There was a time when cancer patients were hopeless about their lives. Because of this hospital lot of precious lives have been saved including innocent children. The hospital has spent over Rs. 22.18 billion (US $ 270 million) in providing state-of-the-art treatment facilities to patients from all over the country. Secondly, there are number of expansion projects across Pakistan which needs the cooperation of the people. We should be a helping hand of all those who taking this venture forward.

God helps those who help others. You can be part of ‘Sponsor-a-Cancer Patient Campaign’ which allows them directly to undertake the responsibility of treatment of poor cancer patients for whom the disease cancer is the ultimate symbol of hopelessness. In this way you can help to make the difference between life and death. Those who can’t afford that much to bear the expense of the treatment can donate a meal to patient at the hospital which can fulfil the special dietary needs and give them the strength and energy to fight cancer.

In Pakistan it is expected that more than 150,000 people are fall victim to cancer every year. In its effort to extend its services to other parts of the country the Shaukat Khanum Memorial Trust is opening a Diagnostic Centre in Karachi. By contributing in this venture you will enable us to extend state-of-the-art treatment facilities to more and more cancer patients. You can also sponsor for the new equipment which is another aspect of extending helping hand. The hospital aims to acquire more medical equipment during this year and hence keep abreast with some of the best cancer centres of the world.

To create a healthy environment we should create a health society and a healthy society can be created by helping others. Your donation can make a huge difference and can save some one’s life.