Khalid Waqas
President Alkhidmat Foundation KP 

Around the world non-governmental organizations are pushing back against a familiar squeeze: more people needing help, little stable funds to meet that need. Wars, climate disasters, economic turbulence, all have converged to stretch NGOs past endurance.

Recent inflation has driven up costs for food, fuel, logistics and staffing. Donors, especially in developed nations, are grappling with high domestic budgets and competing priorities. Meanwhile, crises proliferate: millions displaced by floods, conflict, disease, or wars. NGOs face three kinds of pressure: operational (how to deliver aid), financial (how to pay for it), and reputational (how to show meaningful impact amid complexity).

Some of the biggest NGOs are warning of budget cuts, project delays, scaling down of programs, or outright shutting down in areas where they’ve long worked. Local organizations are particularly exposed: they often lack large reserve funds, depend heavily on unpredictable public donations, and operate in places where crises hit hardest.

Alkhidmat Foundation, one of Pakistan’s largest nonprofit relief and welfare networks, embodies both the promise of local action and the weight of rising expectations. Its mission spans health, education, orphan care, disaster management, microfinance, clean water, and responses to crises beyond Pakistan’s borders.

Now the question is where the challenges lie? Pakistan’s inflation remains high; food, transport, fuel costs have all gone up. For Alkhidmat, that means the cost of basic supplies, logistics, and maintaining health-and relief centers has risen significantly. More funds are needed just to maintain existing programs, less left for expansion or unforeseen emergencies.

With multiple crises globally (e.g. Gaza, climate disasters), donor attention is split. Even where generosity remains, donors are more cautious, demanding quicker results, or preferring specific causes. That can force NGOs toward more restricted grants rather than general funds that allow flexibility.

Flooding, cloudbursts, earthquakes are arriving more often and with more severity. Alkhidmat has had to mobilize relief in multiple provinces (Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Azad Kashmir) following major monsoon rains since mid-2025. Rapid shifts in where help is needed make planning and budgeting much harder.

Alkhidmat’s mission is broad: not just emergencies but education, health, orphan care, microfinance, water. Broad missions make it harder to maintain quality everywhere when resources are thin.

Remote and flood-affected regions often lack infrastructure or are cut off by damaged roads. Transporting relief goods becomes expensive. Medical and disaster relief operations carry extra costs for mobile clinics, temporary shelters, water supply etc.

Recent Specific Challenges for Alkhidmat
Even as Alkhidmat raises significant sums but there is still a gap between what is pledged and what is needed, especially for large-scale relief operations.

Flood disasters in 2025 have cost huge amounts but rehabilitation (rebuilding homes, infrastructure, agriculture) may cost much more, over longer time-frames.
Multiple simultaneous crises increase stretch: Gaza aid, Afghanistan earthquake aid, flood relief, Pakistan’s own domestic disasters compete for the same donor base and logistics capacity. Maintaining services like hospitals, medical centers, or education in non-crisis times also demand steady funding. When donors shift to emergency relief, these regular services somehow suffer.

What Must Change or Has to
More predictable funding: unrestricted grants or multi-year commitments help organizations absorb shocks.
Local organizations need stronger logistics, supply chain, transport agility. Prepositioned stocks help.
Partnerships between international donors and local NGOs must increase; local NGOs are on the ground and often faster to respond.
Better financial planning and risk management: managing inflation risk, delayed grants, seasonal variances.
In sum, the challenge for NGOs in general is how to balance rising demand and complexity with shrinking “breathing room” in finances and operations. Alkhidmat Foundation is a strong example of both the capacity and the fragility of the local nonprofit response. It delivers at scale, in multiple dimensions, but is also exposed: its breadth of mission and multiplicity of crises require matching scale in sustainable funding, operational strength, and strategic focus.