Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: The trend-setting ‘wall of kindness’ is helping poor, needy and margnalised segment in twin cities as one can easily notice a ‘wall of kindness’ emerged by local residents in every congested locality.

The idea was first surfaced in Iranian city Mashhahd in December last, when few Iranians started a social battement project for the poor and needy people by painting the walls and erecting hooks on them.

The first such wall was appeared with the onset of winter in the city of Mashhad, when someone painted a rectangle on a bare wall, drilled some pegs on to it and placed some shelves beside it. A notice, placed above, asked people, “If you don’t need it, leave it here’.

The idea behind the innovative campaign was to help the growing number of ‘cardboard sleepers’ in Iran’s cities. These homeless, driven by the recession, the lingering effects of sanctions and rising inflation, come from small towns and villages to look for employment but face terrible hardships instead, the severe cold weather compounding their woes.

Generally, the wall provides opportunity for those, who want to help others that they can hang clothes including jackets, shirts and shoes or they can also hang eatables in shopping bags, whereas the poor and needy people can take these hung things as per their need free of cost.

The concept helps to maintain dignity of poor people as they can bring anything from these walls at any time without asking anybody for help.

Soon after the idea of establishing such wall reached Pakistan, when some students of Behria College painted first ‘wall of kindness’ in Karachi.

Replicating the idea, the citizens of twin cities have also established a large number of ‘walls of kindness’ in several areas including F-10/4, Karachi Company and Tulsa Road Rawalpindi.

Some of the managers of said walls stay strict to the Iranian idea while some students brought their own creativity by visiting schools, old age homes and hospice to help other.

‘Ghubara-e-Meherbani’ at Jinnah Super Market, ‘wall of solidarity’ at National Baptist Church, ‘Shajar-e-Meherbani’ at Fatima Jinnah Park, and ‘spreading smiles’ at Saddar in Rawalpindi are the few examples of blended use of Iranian idea with indigenous creativity.

Talking to Daily Times, a creator and manager of the ‘wall of kindness’ established at Tulsa Road said; “I am studying in NUML and managing a wall near my home because I want to help the poor and needy people in a dignified way.”

“We are having an overwhelming response by the people of our area and now the wall is not just providing clothes, but we are also distributing ration among over 100 families on daily basis in fasting month of Ramazan.”

The idea is a positive sign but it has also put a question mark on the government whose which has prime objective to serve masses by providing them essentials of life.