Irving’s Foundation and an NGO come together to build a solar water center in Pakistan.
In order to construct a solar water center in Thar, an area in Pakistan that has been experiencing water shortages due to an ongoing drought for the past 17 years, NBA player Kyrie Irving’s KAI Family Foundation has partnered with the non-profit Paani Project.
Approximately 87% of Thar’s 1.6 million inhabitants live below the poverty line. Furthermore, one of the main issues faced by Pakistan’s Sindh province region is a lack of water.
https://twitter.com/PaaniProject/status/1420459701213478915
“This center is providing OVER 1,000 villagers [with] access to clean healthy water, facilitating farming for families, and providing light to women and children. If you’re looking for a new team to cheer for—we HIGHLY recommend Mr. Irving and the Brooklyn Nets,” the Paani Project stated in a tweet.
https://twitter.com/PaaniProject/status/1420459701213478915
Irving’s charity is not only providing a water plant to nearly 1,000 villagers in Rohal, it is also providing them with solar-powered necessities like electricity for fans and lighting in local mosques and schools. In order to promote the sustainability of food, they are also building a small farm and providing hand lights to help village kids move around.
Sonny Khan, a 22-year-old Pakistani-American director and founder of the Paani Project who recently graduated from the University of Michigan, contacted Irving’s organization, which led to the inception of this amazing project.
“Kyrie has always been one of my favorite players. One day, I was just scrolling online and came across his surreal track record of philanthropy. I was surprised to see how much work he’s done in Africa, the work he’s done for low-income communities, and work towards women’s empowerment,” Khan explained.
“I reached out to his foundation directly and told them about Paani. How we have $0 in overhead costs. How we give all of our money to the people. How we record everything from start to finish. How we’ve raised over $1 million as volunteers without any money for marketing. I think our story of being kids who just wanted to help resonated [with others].”
