Inflation hinders Eid festivities for Karachi orphans

KARACHI, April 19 (Reuters) – Women pedal sewing machines, deftly lining up seams and pleats as they assemble brightly colored dresses for girls at an orphanage in Pakistan, in preparation for Eid al-Fitr, which ends the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan. . .

However, as the economic crisis forces people to tighten their belts, fewer are in a position to afford charitable donations for the upcoming festival, usually a time of generosity.

“This year no dresses came from outside,” Laiba, a 16-year-old who lives in the house in the southern city of Karachi, said as she was being measured for her clothes.

“But Bhabi bought us no-sew clothes that we will wear after sewing here,” he added, endearingly referring to Saba Edhi, who runs the network of orphanages in the South Asian nation.

“It’s good,” added Laiba, who only has one name. She is one of 30 residents of the house who said they were glad to have new shoes and clothes, despite the rising cost of living.

Edhi, who was helping to embroider the clothes, said she had to dip into her savings to cover the cost of Eid gifts as no ready-made garments or unsewn cloth donations had come in this year, unlike in previous years. .

“We buy some ready-made items and no-sew fabrics, jewelry, bracelets, shoes and other things with our own funds.”

The crisis pushed inflation to an all-time high of 35% in March, following a depreciation of the rupee currency, reduced subsidies and higher tariffs, while food inflation rose to more than 47%.

“Little by little, the difficulties are increasing,” said philanthropist Faisal Edhi, director of Pakistan’s largest charity, the Edhi Foundation, which runs the orphanages, home to more than 8,000 children.

The three truckloads of donated items such as old clothes, shoes and other household items that Edhi centers in Karachi used to receive every week have dwindled to just one now, he added.

“We are concerned,” he said. “We’re trying to get more donations, but people have tightened the wallet strings and now we’re getting fewer items as donations.”

With less than a month’s worth of foreign exchange reserves, Pakistan awaits a $1.1 billion bailout tranche from the IMF delayed since November over policy changes sought by the lender.

That’s part of a $6.5 billion bailout package approved in 2019, which analysts say is critical for the nation of 220 million to avoid defaulting on foreign payment obligations.

Still, despite the increasing pressure on the Foundation’s resources, Edhi was not deterred.

“We will stand with our country in this time of distress and try to meet the needs with our limited resources,” he said.

Reporting by Waseem Sattar and Akhtar Soomro; Written by Clarence Fernandez

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