Paani Project

Paani, which means water in Urdu, was founded in 2017 at the University of Michigan and operated by student volunteers who aim to alleviate the water and sanitation crisis in Pakistan.[10][11][12][13]

Paani has focused largely on the most disadvantaged families in various districts of Sindh including Jacobabad, Mirpurkhas, Jaffarabad and Tharparkar.[14] In response to COVID-19 pandemic in Pakistan, the non-profit has distributed over a million dollars of medical supplies to clinics including ventilators, electrocardiogram machines, cardiac monitors, and face masks to hospitals in Pakistan.[7]

The non-profit has built wells in honor of George Floyd and Mohammad Anwar.[15][16]

In July 2021, the organization worked with NBA superstar Kyrie Irving to build a solar water center in Pakistan.[17][18] This effort drew praise from the Consulate General of the United States, Karachi.[19]

During the summer of 2022, founder Sikander 'Sonny' Khan received The Diana Award and the Daily Point of Light Award for his efforts in creating Paani.[20][21]

In August 2022, the organization built a school for child Afghan refugees in Swabi through a viral donation from DraftKings CEO Jason Robins.[22][23][24]

In September 2023, the Clinton Global Initiative selected Paani as one of 30 organizations for the CGI Greenhouse, an opportunity to accelerate partnerships for mission-driven entrepreneurs with strategic, intersectional approaches to addressing global challenges.[25]

The organization helped 7,551 families of three tehsils of Tharparkar district from 400 deep water wells and five solar-powered water wells in Pakistan, however across Pakistan the number is much larger.[26] The nonprofit relies on a number of contacts including local construction companies to build the wells, while producing jobs for the unemployed.[27] At the completion of each well, local community members are trained on the maintenance process to ensure longevity of the wells.

• Disaster Relief

During the 2019 Earthquake in Kashmir, Paani was involved in distributing emergency clothing and bedding in collaboration with other NGOs for the affected communities.

During the 2020 Karachi Floods, Paani was involved in both distributing cooked meals and delivering clean water via water tankers to the affected neighborhoods.

• COVID-19 RELIEF

Paani supplied over 4,000+ families (avg. of 7 members) with at least 1- month of food and hygiene kits, which included masks, sanitizers and cleaning products Supplied $500,000 of relevant medical supplies to a government designate COVID-relief center to a health clinic in Lahore housed under the Pakistan Kidney and Liver Institute.[28][29][30]

• Gardening

Paani's installation of solar-powered water facilities in Tharparkar allowed women to grow gardens.[31][32][33]

• Flood Relief

Paani raised over $1.2 million in order to help alleviate the worsening flood conditions in Interior Sindh and Karachi, Pakistan and distributed hot cooked meals.[34][35]

As an organization, Paani began with students raising funds by selling donuts at the Michigan Union until they were able to raise $600 to construct their first water well.[36][37] As of 2023, most of their fundraising is conducted through LaunchGood and online donations via their website.[38][39] The organization has raised over $5 million while maintaining $0 in overhead.[40][41]

• Bushra Amiwala[42]
• Rabia Chaudry[43]
• Abdul El-Sayed[44]
• Jeremy McLellan[45]
• Tony Hawk[46]
• Kyrie Irving
• Lindsay Lohan[46]
• J. B. Pritzker[42]
• Jason Robins
• Amjad Saqib[44]
• Mark Schlissel[47]
• Sabaa Tahir[48]