HONY: How one Facebook page is saving people’s lives
Humans of New York has been one of our favourite Facebook pages for an extremely long time, and we think it may have just gotten even better.
The photographs posted on the site of the different people living in New York city have made us laugh until we cry… and sometimes just cry in general.
The owner of the site, Brandon Stanton, has been travelling around Pakistan for the past few weeks taking pictures for his site and they are truly amazing.
With a photograph and a quote, he has given us all an insight into the lives of people in a country we don't actually know too much about and it is so absorbing.
As part of his trip, Brandon visited a brick kiln factory and its workers. In Pakistan, the brick kiln industry is the closest thing to slavery that exists and the people there work in awful conditions for very little money.
“Over 20,000 brick kilns operate in Pakistan, supported by millions of workers, and the system is largely underpinned by an extremely close cousin of slavery—bonded labour,” Stanton wrote on Instagram.
“If the labourer dies, the debt is passed on to his or her children. The practice is illegal. But due to the extreme power and wealth of brick kiln owners, the law is often unenforced in rural areas,” he said.
The Facebook page shared some inspiring stories of the individuals working there and their life struggles and it turns out, with the help of fans, he has now been able to make a huge difference to their lives.
Brandon introduced the world to Syeda Ghulam Fatima, an activist who helps people who are stuck in the brick kiln industry and she leads Bonded Labour Liberation Front, a group who are fighting to end the practise.
“She has been shot, electrocuted, and beaten numerous times for her activism,” he wrote. “Quite literally, she places herself between the workers and their owners.”
Before the picture of Syeda was shared on Facebook along with her story, she feared her and her group would no longer be able to help people and that she wouldn't be able to even pay for her own medical expenses.
However, in a truly heart-warming turn of events, Brandon announced on Monday that with the help of his followers they almost €2 million had been raised online for them.
Brandon shared Syeda's thanks on his account:
"I struggle to find the words, I don't think I have the words to tell you how grateful we are. You have donated for freedom, for rehabilitation and we are indebted. Thank you so much. The prayers of every labourer are with you and they will always hold you in their hearts."
