Wall of Kindness
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A wall of kindness ( fa, دیوار مهربانی ''dīvār-e mehrabānī''; ur, دیوار مہربانی ''Dewar e meherbani'') is a charity work phenomenon and a kind of welfare, usually done by attaching cloth hangers from outside of houses; those encourage people to donate miscellaneous useful things such as winter clothing. It was introduced by an anonymous Iranian, and the practice quickly spread throughout the country. The motto of the movement are two sentences that appear on the walls: "Leave what you don't need" () and "Take what you do" ().


Description

Initially started for the
homeless Homelessness or houselessness – also known as a state of being unhoused or unsheltered – is the condition of lacking stable, safe, and adequate housing. People can be categorized as homeless if they are: * living on the streets, also kn ...
people of
Mashhad Mashhad ( fa, مشهد, Mašhad ), also spelled Mashad, is the List of Iranian cities by population, second-most-populous city in Iran, located in the relatively remote north-east of the country about from Tehran. It serves as the capital of R ...
, Iran, the act is intended to support those in need. In response to social media, large numbers of people are taking part in this campaign, and it has helped many homeless or otherwise destitute people during the cold winter weather. A similar initiative, but with open
fridge A refrigerator, colloquially fridge, is a commercial and home appliance consisting of a thermally insulated compartment and a heat pump (mechanical, electronic or chemical) that transfers heat from its inside to its external environment so th ...
s, spread from Tehran to other cities. Additionally, bookshelves are being added to the walls of kindness in order to donate books for poor children. A wall of kindness was seen in Pakistan's Karachi on 15 January 2016, and another one appeared in
China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
's Liuzhou, located in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region on 29 January 2016. Moreover, students of Marymount International School of Rome, in April 2016, reproduced the idea by designating a wall with a similar function and name. In Peshawar, a wall of kindness was set up by Serve Mankind & Wadaan and later started spreading all over Pakistan. Cities like
Rawalpindi Rawalpindi ( or ; Urdu, ) is a city in the Punjab province of Pakistan. It is the fourth largest city in Pakistan after Karachi, Lahore and Faisalabad, and third largest in Punjab after Lahore and Faisalabad. Rawalpindi is next to Pakistan's ...
, Lahore, Sialkot, Quetta,
Khuzdar Khuzdar ( Brahui/ bal, ; ur, , ), historically known as Qusdar ( ar, قصدار, quṣdār), is the capital city of Khuzdar District in the central part of Balochistan Province, Pakistan. Khuzdar is the 2nd-largest city of Balochistan province ...
, and Karachi have also witnessed similar walls, where people leave clothes and other essential items for the poor. Another good endeavor in this cause is seen where a website (dewaremeherbani.com) of Walls of Kindness has been developed by two volunteers to give it a digital footprint. At initial stage, a comprehensive list of such walls across Pakistan is provided there along with their actual locations on google map for easy accessibility. We hope that such locations in other countries would also be mapped at this website in future. A new Wall of Kindness was recently witnessed in Amman/Jordan at the Landmark Amman Hotel on 21 November 2017. This marked the first day of rain, inviting generous souls, including children, to donate clothes anonymously for those in need ahead of the winter season. After receiving donations, the hotel's laundry team picks up the clothes, cleans them, irons them, wraps them up, and hangs them back, making them available for the recipients just like brand new items. Similar walls known as "Neki ki Deewar" have sprung up in multiple cities across India, such as
Allahabad Allahabad (), officially known as Prayagraj, also known as Ilahabad, is a metropolis in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.The other five cities were: Agra, Kanpur (Cawnpore), Lucknow, Meerut, and Varanasi (Benares). It is the administrat ...
, Bhilwara,
Jhalawar Jhalawar () is a city, municipal council and headquarter in Jhalawar district of the Indian state of Rajasthan. It is located in the southeastern part of the state. It was the capital of the former princely state of Jhalawar, and is the admin ...
, Mysore, Chandigarh, Bhopal,
Dehradun Dehradun () is the capital and the most populous city of the Indian state of Uttarakhand. It is the administrative headquarters of the eponymous district and is governed by the Dehradun Municipal Corporation, with the Uttarakhand Legislative As ...
, Korba, and Kolkata. Sometimes, these walls even have more supply than demand of clothes. Additionally, these walls serve the unexpected purpose of keeping walls clean and free from spitting.


Background

The economy of Iran took a hit when sanctions were imposed by the Western World. As the situation worsened, with an increasing number of unemployed individuals, many could not afford clothes. Inflation caused particular difficulties for those in need. In the winter of 2015, young Iranians in Vahid came up with an idea. The main theme was to meet the demand for resources from charities. For the first time, a wall symbolized unity rather than separation, and the community was asked to donate voluntarily. As soon as the attempt caught the attention of various social and mass media platforms, it was supported and praised by citizens as well as netizens. Young Iranians took the chance to strengthen the bonds of the community. The campaign went smoothly despite the risk of misuse and loss of resources. People were responsive and well aware that the most vulnerable should take priority. Winter clothing was distributed among a mass number of people as welfare had been seen before.


See also


References

{{Charity Charity in Iran Charity in Pakistan Charity in China Charity in India