Photo Credit: Jacqueline Novogratz

This picture was taken in a village near Kala Shah Kaku outside Lahore, when I made my first visit to the site for Saiban’s Khuda ki Basti 4 with the Acumen Fund team and Jawad Aslam almost exactly four years ago. It remains one of my favourite photographs – not just because of the lush green background and the idyllic landscape, but because every time I see it, I can almost hear the laughter in these boys voices. They walked with us from the village to the basti, chatting, giggling and playing all the way, happy in the moment – as every child deserves to be.

The fields and pathways were flooded from recent monsoon rains and at one point we actually had to roll up our pants and tiptoe through calf-deep waters, flip-flops in hand. But apart from mud-caked flip-flops, wet, dirty clothes, and a few slips, in a few minutes we were able to make it through the flooded fields to the housing site where the first model house had just been built for what was to become a thriving community a few years later.

Seeing the devastation caused by the floods in Pakistan right now with more than 1,600 killed and over 14 million people impacted, by the incessant rains and overflowing rivers, families homeless and displaced, I cant help but think about these kids and so many others like them. Where are they, 4 years from when we met? What does their village look like today? How have their lives been impacted by the floods and rains? Are they going to school? Are they still laughing and playing?

These are overwhelming questions and its hard to stay positive at times like these, when so many have lost so much and the general feeling of hopelessness is so pervasive. But we must move ahead, do more, act more, help more and reach out to those that need assistance. In Pakistan and around the world, individuals and organizations are coming together to provide disaster relief. We need to address the immediate needs now. And in the long run, focus on sustainable solutions to lift people out of poverty and to provide them with opportunities that celebrate dignity, not build dependence.

Misbah Naqvi is a Business Development Manager in our NY office and previously worked with our Pakistan team in Karachi.