PEOPLE ENABLEMENT
kARACHI, pAKISTAN
eMPOWERing INDIVIDUALS AND FAMILIES EARN THEIR livelihood
POVERTY LINE IN PAKISTAN
As of 2023, the World Bank defines extreme poverty at $2.15/day, while local benchmarks consider incomes below PKR 30,000–40,000/month (~$100–130) for a family of five insufficient to meet basic needs in urban areas.
Karachi is the most populous city of Pakistan, and is the 6th most populous city of the world, that hosts above 20 million people. Karachi ranks 168th in terms of livability among a total of 172 countries.
food prices
Karachi, like other urban centers, faces rising food prices due to inflation, making basic sustenance challenging for lower-income groups.
Estimated proportions
Income Below Basic Needs: Around 30–40% of Karachi’s population is estimated to live in poverty or earn below the income threshold required for basic survival. This aligns with national urban poverty estimates.
food prices
Food insecurity affects about 30–35% of urban households, as per surveys by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics and international organizations.
Families Facing Food Insecurity
Karachi, like other urban centers, faces rising food prices due to inflation, making basic sustenance challenging for lower-income groups.
Population Numbers
Out of 20 million people 4.8–8 million individuals might fall below the earning threshold and it continues to fall given the continual decline in employment and increment in inflation.
Assuming an average household size of 5–6 people, this translates to 0.8–1.6 million families.
Impacting Factors
Daily Wage Earners: A significant proportion of Karachi's workforce comprises daily-wage earners, many of whom cannot afford sufficient food during economic downturns or inflation spikes.
Inflation and Economic Conditions: High inflation, unemployment, and stagnant wages have pushed more families into food insecurity in recent years.
Slums and Informal Settlements: Karachi has extensive informal settlements where poverty and food insecurity are concentrated.
OUR INITIATIVEs & projects
procurement of fruit / vegetable reselling cart
Starting as low as $200, a person could be offered a cart with fresh vegetable or fruit inventory that he/she can sell at a profit and roll back.
This might enable him/her to earn as much as $200-300 per month or even higher with successive rollover attempts reselling inventory, empowering his/her associated family in taking care of their food expenses.
procurement of sewing machine and sewing course for women
Women can honorably contribute to their households within their family unit or for their own survival, independently.
This will cost about $65 or $100 (with course), to be offered to deserving women after reasonable screening, having less than $100 of personal income per month. This can potentially enable her to earn $50 to $200 a month depending on her learning curve and the customer orders that she will eventually receive.
procurement of tuk tuk/rickshaw for cab hailing service