HONY Fundraiser For Pakistan: Humans Of New York Raises $2 Million To Stop Bonded Labor
Human's of New York just raised a whopping $2 million for helping to stop bonded labor in Pakistan.
After a recent visit to Pakistan, the project's founder Brandon Stanton was moved by the plight of the bonded laborers in the developing country. Meeting activists like Syeda Ghulam Fatima strenghthened his resolve to do something for these oppresses workers. Stanton started to make people aware of this crisis in Pakistan via a series of posts on Facebook.
He described the treachery experienced by the poor and illiterate of Pakistan: "Throughout rural Pakistan, illiterate and desperate laborers are tricked into accepting small loans in exchange for agreeing to work at brick kilns for a small period of time."
"But due to predatory terms, their debt balloons, growing larger as time goes on, with no possibility of repayment, until these laborers are condemned to work for the rest of their lives for no compensation," he wrote. "If the laborer dies, the debt is passed on to his or her children."
In a recent interview with Dawn, Fatima talked about her experience meeting and working with Stanton on this issue, that is so dear to her, and how grateful they were for his contribution to the cause and creating awareness.
"Brandon went and met these labourers himself, he saw how miserable their lives are and it was evident that he wanted to do something to help. His support has been appreciated immensely and he has these kiln workers' prayers with him," she said. "It took someone from a different country coming in and spreading the word about this social ill that plagues our nation."
