IT is no secret that Pakistanis are among the most generous people in the world. From religious obligations to social norms, people donate billions of rupees every year for individual and collective causes. However, a critical question often goes unanswered: where exactly is all this money going?

Our charitable impulses are admirable, but the lack of transparency that charac-terises the distribution of these funds raises concerns. The reality is that many of us have little to no knowledge of how our donations are being utilised. Are they reaching the intended recipients, or are they disappearing into the pockets of intermediaries?

Unfortunately, the latter scenario is more common than we would like to believe. Media reports every now and then expose cases where charitable funds are misappropriated, mismanaged, or diverted to purposes completely unrelated to the intentions of the donors.

Indeed, this undermines the trust of the donors, and deprives deserving ind-ividuals of much-needed support.

As such, when money meant to alleviate poverty or to fund healthcare initiatives is siphoned off or poorly managed, the consequences are terrible. Vulnerable communities suffer, and the faith of public in charitable institutions gets eroded.

Furthermore, the absence of a healthy mechanism to track and monitor these donations exacerbates the problem. The lack of oversight allows for potential abuse, making it difficult to distinguish between genuine organisations and those that exploit the sentiments of the public. This creates a vicious cycle where the donors become increasingly hesitant to contribute, fearing their money might not be used for the right purpose.

It is, therefore, indispensable that we establish a transparent and accountable system to monitor the flow of charitable contributions. Non-profits and charitable organisations must be mandated to keep clear, accessible and regular reports on how funds are being spent. This should include a detailed breakdown of expend-iture, progress reports on funded projects, and audits conducted by independent bodies to ensure that the funds are not being misused.

Moreover, public awareness campaigns on a regular basis should be launched to educate the donors about the importance of verifying the credibility of the organ-isations they support.

Further, encouraging donors to ask questions, demand transparency, and research the charities they are considering can help prevent funds from falling into the wrong hands.

Also, regulatory bodies must step up their efforts to enforce accountability in the charitable sector. This includes imp-lementing stricter regulations, conducting random audits, and penalising organis-ations that fail to comply with transparency standards. The government can play a fundamental role through creating a centralised platform where donors can track their contributions as well as access verified information about charitable organisations.

Finally, it is critical for media outlets and civil society to highlight both success stories and cases of fund misuse within the sector. As responsible citizens, we must demand accountability and transpa- rency from all charitable institutions to safeguard the integrity of our donations.

Tania Shahjahan
Kamber Ali Khan

Published in Dawn, September 21st, 2024