NATA Yateem Khana (NYK)

NYK gives orphaned children a safe home, education, and the care every child deserves.

Nobody knows exactly how many orphans live in Pakistan. Reporting has noted that neither the government nor charities keep a full count, and even the number of shelter homes is uncertain.

Government shelters are very few compared with the need. Reports describe only a few dozen state-run homes with space for a few thousand children, so many wait for a place, and by the time one opens they may already be too old to enter.

Much of the care therefore falls to charities and religious institutions that depend on donations. The Edhi Foundation is the best known: it has run orphan homes across the country and set out cradles where unwanted babies could be left safely.

Islam places great importance on looking after orphans, and many Pakistanis give generously. But food and shelter alone are not enough. A child who loses their family also needs schooling, health care, counselling and caring adults to grow up confident and independent. NYK aims to give that.

Summarised in our own words from public sources: Wikipedia: Edhi Foundation, Dawn: Orphanages in Karachi. Figures change over time.