500 Friends

500 Friends A WA charity working to relieve poverty in rural Pakistan. We have ACNC registration. ABN: 8834 1350 663
https://www.abr.business.gov.au/ABN/View/88341350663

Steve now has his two young trainees signed up for their opportunity to escape brick kiln work which they have already b...
30/08/2026

Steve now has his two young trainees signed up for their opportunity to escape brick kiln work which they have already begun. Both boys say they are enjoying the instruction, and have been reporting every day for between two and four hours of training. Anosh travelled to Steve's workshop today to collect the paperwork- trainee agreements and timesheets.

We are looking forward with great hope to seeing this young man's plan succeed, and we are thrilled to be able to support it.

Steve is taking the responsibility of training young men very seriously. In the pictures below, he has set up a whiteboa...
28/08/2026

Steve is taking the responsibility of training young men very seriously. In the pictures below, he has set up a whiteboard to show diagrams, and the young trainee, Munawar, is completing some written tasks.
Steve has taken on two quite young village youths who would otherwise be working in the brick kilns.

Steve's newly established electrical repair service has been up and running for a couple of months now, and he is gettin...
24/08/2026

Steve's newly established electrical repair service has been up and running for a couple of months now, and he is getting a good flow of work

It was Steve's intention from the start to train some of the young local boys whose only option for work was in the brick kilns. This work is poorly paid, physically taxing in harsh conditions wearing young strong men into broken older bodies well before their time.

This month, Steve has begun training two young boys, and we are assisting the process by replacing the wages which the boys lose if they choose the training. This is important, as the wages- meagre as they are- will be contributing to the basic needs of their families. Too often, they have been taken out of school quite young to bolster the family income.

If the boys prove suitable and capable of learning, they will eventually have some better options for work in the future.

Today, we received these pictures from the graduation ceremony for our two nursing/midwifery trainees, Karina and Saima....
19/08/2026

Today, we received these pictures from the graduation ceremony for our two nursing/midwifery trainees, Karina and Saima.

From two shy village girls, shown with Anosh on the day of their enrolment in 2024, they have grown into capable young women, ready to be a support to their families and a valuable resource for their community.

We congratulate them both, and wish them every success as they seek paid employment that was once only a dream.

Thank you to the generous supporters whose regular giving, enables us to make these longer term training commitments with confidence. So far now, we have been able to meet the cost of training for five young women.

We hope to help three more young girls to commence training in a couple of months.

Sara,  Isaiah and their two young daughters are living in the mud brick home Isaiah built, but it is a very unsafe condi...
16/08/2026

Sara, Isaiah and their two young daughters are living in the mud brick home Isaiah built, but it is a very unsafe condition.
Isaiah works in the brick kilns to provide food to his family. Wages are very low and bad weather can cause closure of the kilns, reducing income further. Isaiah is not able to save the large amount needed to build a sound weatherproof room.
This week we began the process- a water pump, and the materials to begin build the walls. The plan is to have this finished by the end of this month, if all goes smoothly.

This is our favourite thing to do.Recently  we built a room and toilet for this family of four- a father in ill-health t...
15/08/2026

This is our favourite thing to do.

Recently we built a room and toilet for this family of four- a father in ill-health trying to support his wife and two kids on brick workers wages.

But behind the main project stood an all too common story.

The father could not afford the medical treatment needed, nor could he work at a fast enough pace. So, the decision was made to take the son , Darvhan, out of school and bond him to the brick kiln- a loan received for medical expenses, but a boy's future sacrificed.

It is too late for Darvhan to return to school, and the family still needs his wages.

But yesterday we paid out his debt to the brick kiln, and now all of his wages go towards the support of the family. Better still, if Darvhan can find better work he is free to take it.

Life for this family is still hard, but they now have the assurance of owning a secure room with sanitation, and a debt free life.

The cost to us was about a week's rent in Australia at present. For them, at .5 cents per brick, making $3.50 for an 8 hour day, and $21 per week weather permitting, it is simply unattainable.

Their smiles, and the sense of relief is worth more than can be expressed in words.

Thank you to all the faithful generous supporters who make it possible to do this.

Our first housing project for the new financial year was completed this week.  Javed and Nina and their two children now...
01/08/2026

Our first housing project for the new financial year was completed this week. Javed and Nina and their two children now have a sound secure room, in place of the crumbling mudbrick shelter they had- which leaked heavily when rain fell. With a water pump, toilet and a simple power supply they now have the most basic security that a family needs- a safe and weatherproof home. They have lighting for cooking and homework, and a fan to provide some relief from the extreme heat and humidity of the summer season.
Once again, we were able to use the services of Steve- the young man we recently helped to establish an electrical repair business in this village. A double blessing and what a neat and tidy installation he has delivered.

10/07/2026

Anosh has put together this little video after his trip to take Yousef his wheelchair- I thought I should share with everyone.

We have been supporting Yousef through his recovery from a serious stroke, three years ago.It has been a long and challe...
08/07/2026

We have been supporting Yousef through his recovery from a serious stroke, three years ago.
It has been a long and challenging journey, as Yousef endured intensive physiotherapy to help him to stand, and walk again.

Good progress was made, but as often happens, Yousef has not regained full function. The strain of helping such a big man to move around has been considerable for his wife, Rosanna.

Today, Anosh and Lubna delivered an electric wheelchair, which would enable Yousef to move independently about the house and immediate neighbourhood. A manual chair would have been too hard for Rosanna to operate, as she is quite small in stature. The monthly food and medications were taken as well.

We hope in the next few months to assist Yousef and Rosanna to establish a small home based business to achieve self sufficiency. But for the moment, Yousef will regain some independence, and connection with his community.

Thanks to Anosh for arranging the chair, and assembling it ready for use, delivering it to Yousef - all in the space of a few days.

Farooq and Amina received the final part of their home project- some additional bedding, one for each person,  and some ...
02/07/2026

Farooq and Amina received the final part of their home project- some additional bedding, one for each person, and some extra sheets and blankets.

The family now has the assurance of a secure and weatherproof room, with simple but important amenities of furniture, and electricity.

Address

Northam, WA

Telephone

+61410325027

Website

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