Pakistan Diaspora Philanthropy in the UK: Trends and Variations

The Pakistan Centre for Philanthropy (PCP) and the British Council in Pakistan collaborated on this research on Pakistani diaspora philanthropy in the UK, which brings to light the trends and volume of philanthropic giving by Pakistani diaspora living in the UK. The present study aims to understand the giving impulse of Pakistani diaspora in the UK. It is also an attempt to be cognisant of their motivations and perceptions so as to make philanthropic contributions more effective and impactful. The Pakistani diaspora community in the UK is 1.3 million and has strong sociocultural ties with their country of origin. Their philanthropic contributions and impact to date have been significant. They have been providing fast relief in times of natural disasters and investing in education and health projects. This signposts an opportunity to guide the private capital flows to strategically shape economic and social development in Pakistan. Steering for this kind of stakeholder is inevitably a three-way process, in which the diaspora is sensitised, developed to increase its independence and facilitated by the UK and Pakistani governments. As the diaspora community becomes better organised, the role of organisations like the PCP, the British Council and others becomes important in improving the accountability and effectiveness of non-profit sector programmes in Pakistan, resulting in enhanced volume of giving and ultimately greater impact.