Hi, my name is Faatima Rehman. I’m 20 years old and a University of Houston student. For as long as I can remember, my heart has been drawn to people who are suffering—orphans, bonded laborers, street children, and the sick and elderly.

Recently, I traveled to Pakistan, where I used my minimum-wage earnings from to do what I could:

• Help free a family trapped in bonded labor

• Pay for three cataract surgeries, restoring sight to people who were completely blind

• Help 21 families in the slums with their food expenses. Their homes had been destroyed

I didn’t do this for recognition. I did it because I needed purpose—and because my people are suffering. In my own pain, I found meaning.

Why This Matters to Me

I don’t live a perfect or easy life. I don’t have many friends. I have loving parents, but I don’t have a traditionally large extended family as that of an average Pakistani, and my only brother lives far away. I also live with severe anxiety. I’ve faced rejection, bullying, and the loss of the first real best friend I had made in years—she passed away just months after we met.

I could have shut down. I could have focused only on myself. Many people told me to do exactly that.

But I couldn’t.

Instead of giving up, I realized something: Allah placed this mission in my heart for a reason. My pain is tied to the pain of others. Helping them is the only thing that brings me peace. I believe I was created to serve.

What Your Donation Will Support

I am continuing this work and plan to return to Pakistan again in May, using both my own money and the support of donors like you.

Your donations will go toward:

Cataract Surgeries

• Performed by Dr. Inayat, a renowned doctor at a public hospital

• Covers medical fees, supplies, and post-op care

• Cost: PKR 30,000–70,000 (approx. $100–200 USD)

• Restores sight to someone who would otherwise remain blind

⛓ Freeing Bonded Laborers

• Families trapped in modern-day slavery, especially widows with orphaned children

• Done in collaboration with an NGO who specializes in freeing families

• Cost: approx. $300–700 USD per family

Wells & Hand Pumps

• Installed in Punjab, the Thar Desert in Sindh, and remote areas of KPK

• Provides clean drinking water to entire communities

• Cost: PKR 30,000–70,000 per pump

(100-200 USD)

Street Children Rehabilitation

• Ongoing support with NGOs

• Includes food, safety, medical care, and long-term rehabilitation

• This is a longer process, but one that can truly change lives

A Final Note

I am not wealthy. I am a student. I am using my own earnings and sacrificing personal comfort to do this work. A video I recently shared went viral, and it reminded me that people do care—and that together, we can do so much more. Sometimes I feel as though Edhi and Iqbal Masih are looking down on me telling me to keep going. They are my inspirations.

If you donate, share, or make duʿāʾ, you are part of this mission.

You are restoring sight.

You are freeing families.

You are giving dignity, water, and hope.

Thank you for believing in me and in this cause.

— Faatima Rehman