Have you visited the Wall of Kindness in Karachi?

Walls have always been used to create distances between nations and communities. This one is very different.

As I was scrolling down my Facebook newsfeed I saw a post about the Walls of Kindness in Iran. The post had thousands of views, shares and comments. Naturally, I wasn’t the only one who was inspired by these acts of altruism. People have been leaving jackets and scarves for the poor who can’t afford warm clothes in the winter.

Photo: AP

Photo: AP

Photo: AP

Iranian volunteer Mohammad Esmaeil Khosroabadi, right, donates a sandwich to a needy man at a street charity hut in southern Tehran, Iran, Thursday, Jan. 7, 2016.Photo: AP

After a few days, I got a call from my sister who told me that Pakistanis too are constructing a wall of kindness. The idea of giving out clothes not by hand, but by hanging them on street walls for the homeless and the needy is a remarkable initiative to bring the community closer together.

Photo: Yum to Yikes

Teachers from Bahria College, Ismat Ali and Maria Waqas, have introduced the Wall of Kindness in Karachi. The first wall was set up on January 15, 2016. Karachi’s Wall of Kindness is not just confined to clothes -- it is equipped to accept food items and other necessities of life.

The simple principle involved in this endeavour is to leave stuff you do not need, and would end up throwing away, for those who need it. It is being managed solely by the founders of the project.

“We do not really need the government’s support at this point,” said Ali, when I asked her about how they are planning to keep it up in the future.

“We are ordinary people with humanitarian instincts. We want to help those less fortunate than us. That’s what drives us and that’s all we needed to start the Wall of Kindness in Pakistan.”

Photo: Yum to Yikes

Photo: Yum to Yikes

She also mentioned how they surrounded themselves with personal security when they were setting the wall up so no one would interrupt them.



Walls have always been used to create distances between nations and communities. However, this unique use of walls is bringing communities together. People are now joining hands to create a kinder world for everyone to live in. We should all join in and make our streets warmer, well-fed and happier.