The Silence of an Empty Lunchbox
In a classroom in Azad Kashmir, a little girl named Hena sits quietly at her desk. Her eyes wander between the blackboard and the colourful lunchboxes of her class friends. When the bell rings for break time, laughter fills the room—but not from Hena. She gently opens her own lunchbox, only to find it empty once again.
The school has recently been encouraging everyone to bring food with them as a bid to tackle Kashmir malnutrician crisis. Her teacher pretends not to notice, but we can all feel it—the silent ache of hunger, the unspoken shame of poverty. It is a moment that reflects a much bigger story unfolding across this breathtaking yet struggling region.
We are the Kashmir Welfare Foundation, a group of British Kashmiris dedicated to transforming lives in our ancestral homeland. For us, this journey is not about charity. It is about dignity. Not handouts, but hand-ups.
The Hidden Face of Poverty
When our field team visited Hena’s school in Muzaffarabad district, something about her quiet presence caught their attention. One of our project coordinators recalled, “She sat towards the left of the classroom, small, withdrawn, and distant. You could tell that her story was heavier than her tiny shoulders could bear.”
When we later visited her home, we found a small, single-room house tucked into the hillside. Her mother, a widow, was struggling to keep her family afloat through irregular cleaning jobs. With no steady income and four mouths to feed, every day was a battle.
Hena’s story is not an isolated one. Across Azad Jammu & Kashmir, poverty quietly shapes the future of thousands of children. According to the AJK Bureau of Statistics (2024), nearly 10% of the labour force remains unemployed, and one in six children between ages 10 and 12 are out of school. While the official literacy rate stands at 77.5%, this figure hides deep disparities—especially for rural girls.
Behind every percentage point lies a face like Hena’s. A child whose education, nutrition, and confidence are sacrificed to circumstances she did not choose.
Beyond Food Packs: Rethinking Aid in Kashmir
At Kashmir Welfare Foundation, we have learned that aid must evolve beyond short-term relief. Food packs, though life-saving, are only the first step. True transformation begins when a family regains the ability to stand on its own feet.
That’s why our Empower Lives Campaign focuses on sustainability—creating pathways out of poverty rather than temporary escapes.
One example is Shabbir, a father of two who lost his livelihood after a workplace injury left him unable to perform heavy labour. We provided emergency medical care, but we didn’t stop there. We helped him set up a small sweet stand near a local school, where he could sell to children and teachers.
“The sweet stand changed my life,” Shabbir told us. “I didn’t just earn again—I felt human again.”
This small intervention turned dependency into dignity. Within months, Shabbir was supporting his family independently and even helping others in his community.
📲 Donate today and be a part of this life-changing mission!
🌿 Empower Lives in Azad Kashmir Today!
💧 Give Sadaqah – Make a World Of Difference to someone in need today
🤝 Regular Giving – Your ongoing support helps the poor
The Ripple Effect of Empowerment
Empowerment has a ripple effect that extends far beyond one family. When a single household achieves stability, the entire community begins to heal. Children return to school. Mothers regain hope. Fathers rediscover purpose.
Our teams have seen this transformation repeatedly. In just the first three months of engagement, families often shift from crisis mode to rebuilding mode. It starts with a simple mindset change: from survival to progress.
According to AJK’s 2024 socio-economic data, over 82% of the population lives in rural areas, where formal employment is scarce. By focusing on small business setups, skill development, and education, Kashmir Welfare Foundation helps families plant the seeds of long-term prosperity.
When Hena’s mother joined our livelihood support programme, she received basic sewing training and materials to start a tailoring service from home. Today, she earns enough to feed her children, send Hena to school with a full lunchbox, and dream of something more than survival.
Help a Family Like Hena’s
Every small act of generosity can change an entire life.
Your support to the Empower Lives Campaign helps widows, orphans, and struggling families build sustainable futures in Kashmir.
Give a hand-up, not a handout.
📲 Donate today and be a part of this life-changing mission!
🌿 Empower Lives in Azad Kashmir Today!
💧 Give Sadaqah – Make a World Of Difference to someone in need today
🤝 Regular Giving – Your ongoing support helps the poor
Cultural Understanding: The Bridge Between Two Worlds
As British Kashmiris, we bridge two worlds—the privilege of opportunity in the UK and the persistence of struggle in our homeland. Our cultural insight allows us to respond with compassion that is practical and respectful of local traditions.
We understand that many women in Kashmir prefer to consult female doctors, which is why we ensure female medical staff are present during all our healthcare projects. We also carefully apply Zakat and Sadaqah principles to prioritise families who qualify under Islamic guidelines, ensuring fairness and accountability in every act of giving.
As one of our trustees, Abdul Basit, explains:
“Zakat isn’t meant to maintain poverty—it’s meant to end it. Our duty is to help people rise again, not just survive another day.”
This approach has earned Kashmir Welfare Foundation the trust of communities across Azad Kashmir and the unwavering support of UK donors who value both transparency and impact.
Education: The Foundation of Change
When you invest in a child’s education, you invest in the future of an entire region. AJK’s 2024 statistics reveal that over 4,000 primary schools serve the population, yet almost one in five high-school-aged children remain out of education.
For Hena, education is the bridge between hunger and hope. With her mother’s new income and our ongoing support, she can now stay in school, eat a proper lunch, and learn with focus and joy.
Our education initiatives provide:
- School supplies and uniforms for orphaned and vulnerable children.
- Teacher support and training to improve classroom quality.
- Nutritional packs to ensure children can learn without hunger.
- Vocational courses for youth, especially girls, to secure future livelihoods.
Each classroom we support is a seedbed of possibility. Every child like Hena represents the dawn of a more self-reliant Kashmir.
Impact Box – Empower Lives in Numbers (2024–2025)
📚 500+ children provided school supplies and uniforms
👩👧 200+ widowed mothers supported with income generation tools
🧵 150 families trained in small business setup (tailoring, vending, livestock)
🍲 Over 2,000 families transitioned from relief to independence
💧 35 villages linked with sustainable livelihood projects
Early Intervention: Stopping Poverty Before It Deepens
Our partnerships with schools have been crucial in identifying children at risk. Teachers are often the first to notice signs of trouble—poor concentration, absence, isolation, or hunger.
Through early-intervention visits, our team works with local educators to support struggling families before the crisis becomes irreversible. This proactive model prevents long-term damage and keeps children like Hena on the path to education and stability.
Measuring Success Differently
At Kashmir Welfare Foundation, we measure success not in the number of food packs distributed, but in the number of families who no longer need us.
When Hena’s mother said, “I don’t worry anymore when my children ask for food,” that was success. When Shabbir’s sweet stand turned from a dream into a thriving small business, that was success.
These are not statistics—they are living testaments to resilience.
UK Donors: Building a Legacy of Hope
Every story of change in Kashmir begins with compassion from the UK. British Muslims have a long tradition of giving through Zakat, Sadaqah, and Regular Giving. Your generosity doesn’t just feed a family—it empowers them to feed themselves.
For every £1 you give, you can add 25p more by ticking the Gift Aid box if you’re a UK taxpayer. It costs you nothing extra, but it means the world to those we serve.
👉 Tick the Gift Aid box and let your mercy stretch even further.
📲 Donate today and be a part of this life-changing mission!
🌿 Empower Lives in Azad Kashmir Today!
💧 Give Sadaqah – Make a World Of Difference to someone in need today
🤝 Regular Giving – Your ongoing support helps the poor
Why Give Now
Tonight, there are children like Hena who will go to bed hungry, not because food doesn’t exist, but because poverty stole their chance to thrive.
Your donation can break that cycle—today.
Every gift to the Empower Lives Campaign restores dignity, fuels opportunity, and turns silent hunger into hopeful laughter.
💷 Gift Aid adds 25% extra at no cost to you.
Frequently Asked Questions
How does the Empower Lives Campaign help families in Kashmir?
It supports widows, orphans, and low-income families through education, skill training, and small business grants, creating sustainable independence.
Can I give Zakat to the Empower Lives Campaign?
Yes, your Zakat is used in accordance with Islamic principles to assist eligible families in poverty.
How much of my donation goes directly to families?
Kashmir Welfare Foundation maintains a transparent allocation system where the vast majority of funds go directly into field projects.
Can I see the impact of my donation?
Absolutely. Regular updates, reports, and real-life stories like Hena’s are shared on our official channels and newsletters.
Why should UK donors give to Kashmir Welfare Foundation?
Because as British Kashmiris, we ensure cultural understanding, accountability, and local knowledge to make every donation count for lasting change.
The Road Ahead – Together We Rise
The quiet revolution we’re leading in Kashmir doesn’t come from noise or fame. It comes from love. From small acts of mercy multiplied across generations.
We dream of a day when organisations like ours are no longer needed—because every family in Kashmir can stand proudly on its own. Until that day comes, we will continue to serve, to empower, and to believe.
Join us. Together, we can fill every empty lunchbox, rekindle every dream, and transform every silent struggle into a story of strength.
📲 Donate today and be a part of this life-changing mission!
🌿 Empower Lives in Azad Kashmir Today!
💧 Give Sadaqah – Make a World Of Difference to someone in need today
🤝 Regular Giving – Your ongoing support helps the poor
💷 Gift Aid adds 25% extra at no cost to you.
