ISLAMABAD - Generosity has a lot to do with religious beliefs and Pakistanis donate huge sums of money in different forms to the underprivileged sectors of the society.
A report published by Pakistan Centre for Philanthropy (PCP), in collaboration with the British Council Pakistan, titled “Pakistani Diaspora Philanthropy in the UK: Trends and Variations”, has analyzed the donating habits of overseas Pakistanis.
The report is focused on examining the scope and motivations of philanthropic giving by the Pakistani diaspora in the UK and their concerns around giving to various causes in Pakistan. Findings
According to the study, UK-based Pakistanis donate £1.25 billion a year, with £0.7 billion going to Pakistan while the remaining £0.6 billion is given to causes within the UK.
It is worth mentioning that the findings are estimated based on a selected sample with givings in the form of monetary, in-kind and time volunteered.
The report also showcases that people prefer giving to individuals in Pakistan when religion is the driving factor whereas organizations are the preferred choice for other donations in the UK.
This trend of preferring to give to individuals in Pakistan, and to organisations in the UK, is reflective of either lack of trust in Pakistani organisations or the relatively greater convenience and ease of giving to individuals.
The survey results also found that 57.62% of respondents preferred giving to causes like education and health in Pakistan whereas 42.37% preferred donating to causes in the UK. In the UK, the expatriates prefer donating for causes involving disabled people, community development, and women empowerment.