A member of Afghanistan’s National Cricket Team Karim Sadiq not only dug deep into his pockets to help a desperate Afghan family but also initiated a fund-raising campaign in order to build them a house.
According to Sadiq, he was deeply disturbed by footage he saw a year ago on social media about the family who were in dire straits and living in a tent.
After raising enough money, Sadiq was able to build a house for the Nangarhar family for 160,000 AFs.
He said the 14-member family had been left devastated by the war after all their breadwinners were killed by insurgents.
He said the only male in the family now is a three-year-old boy.
Sadiq said he collected money from his fellow team mates and from Nangarhar traders. He said his team mate, Shahzad Mohammadi, even auctioned off his motorbike to help pay for the house.
One year ago I saw a video on social media showing the family was in a very bad situation. It was a bitter scene for me and then with my friends we came to see the family. Four decades of war has brought such sorrow to the lives of Afghans and this family is an example. We bought land for them and now you can see the house has been built and it has cost around 160,000 AFs,” said Sadiq.
One of the family members, Hosna Jan, who is 65 years old, said they had all been living in a tent in Nangarhar’s Khewa district before Sadiq stepped in to help.
She said the only male in the family is three-year-old Omar. His father was shot dead by armed men in Khewa district.
"My husband was killed during the past governments and now I cannot work," said Hosna.
Meanwhile, a number of MPs and members of the public said wealthy Afghans and traders can learn a lesson from Sadiq and do more to help the destitute.
"Those who are rich should help their poor neighbor and those in need," Amir Khan Yar, an MP said.
“When I saw the family in a bad situation, I became very sad. I want to serve my people in the future,” Abdul Karim, a resident of Khewa said.
Sadiq said he worked hard to get the house built but that it did not end there – as he continues to help other people in need.