On the evening of 4 April, we hosted 28 donors at Masjid Rehmat-ul-Alameen for the first formal project briefing. Below is everything we shared, plus the most important questions that came up — and our answers.
What we presented
- Project scope: 50 acres, 120 homes in phase 1, full settlement (school, masjid, clinic) over 2 years
- Site progress: 18 acres surveyed, soil tested, water table at 28 ft
- Architecture: final home design walked through, including the women-led design changes
- Budget: PKR 65 crore for phase 1, with detailed line-item breakdown
- Beneficiary selection: vetting committee composition and published criteria
The most important questions we got asked
"How do we know the donations are reaching the right families?"
Three layers: (1) every donation receipts back to a specific package and budget line on the Transparency page, (2) every beneficiary family is independently vetted and visited before being onboarded, and (3) all major construction is photographed and reported monthly. We will publish quarterly external audits starting from Q2 2027.
"What happens if a sponsored widow remarries?"
The home stays with her — either she continues to live in it with her new husband, or it transfers to her children. We do not believe in punishing women for moving forward with their lives. The only condition is that the home cannot be sold; if a family permanently moves out, the home returns to the trust to be re-allocated.
"Why not just give cash?"
We asked the women themselves. The unanimous answer was housing first. Cash gets spent on the next emergency. A home is a permanent change in your trajectory — and equally important, the children's. Once they have a stable address, they can stay enrolled in school.
"Will the village be open to non-Muslims?"
Yes. Selection is by need alone. We expect the population will be majority-Muslim because that's the demographic that approaches us, but no one will ever be turned away on the basis of faith.
What we heard from donors
The strongest theme was transparency demand. Donors don't just want photos; they want to see budget vs actual, on time. We're committing to publishing a one-page financial dashboard on the Transparency page, updated monthly, starting next month.
Next briefing
Late May, in shaa Allah. We'll send WhatsApp invitations to existing donors. If you'd like to attend, message us via the contact page.