Desperate circumstances.

With inflation reaching alarming levels, low-income communities are finding it impossible to make ends meet. The economic reality of Pakistan today is that thousands of families are struggling to pay rent, put food on the table, pay for their children's education and afford basic amenities such as sanitation equipment. Joblessness and rampant unemployment coupled with paycuts and meager salaries have compounded the problem to shocking levels.

The situation has taken a serious mental toll on the heads of families. In order to stay afloat, they now resort to odd jobs in the informal economy or are forced to take unofficial loans from loan sharks to pay the bills and keep a roof over their families. Then there are many households who require every individual working in order to collectively pay the bills for their survival. But it is sometimes too much to bear, forcing them down a dangerous path. Just a few days prior, a family attempted suicide by consuming a poisonous substance due to frustration over inflation. A...

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