How Humans of New York made a difference to the life of a Pakistani woman

If you’re on any sort of social media, chances are you’ve seen several posts from ‘Humans of New York’ (HONY) shared multiple times by your friends and other users on Facebook. All these posts have a photo of a person and a short story to go with it. What makes the HONY posts go viral is the beautiful way  they conveys the struggle of the person in the photograph. [caption id=“attachment_2395622” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  The Pakistani woman: Image Credit: Facebook page of Humans of New York[/caption] Currently in Pakistan, HONY has captured some deeply resonant stories from the other side of our border in the last few weeks. From a young girl who wants to be independent but not alone in a society that doesn’t accept independent woman to the uneducated father who sends his daughter to school to fulfill his dream, the blog has done a brilliant job of showcasing the the problems Pakistan faces, it has done so without making it a sob story. But the one story that really moved a vast majority of people around the world of the image of a Pakistani mother holding a child in one hand and wiping her eyes with the other. The young mother left an abusive relationship with her toddler and was rejected from many places because she suffers from Hepatitis C but was unable to give up her child for adoption. HONY started as a blog by New York-based photographer Brandon Stanton and was dedicated to showcasing the heart-touching stories of ordinary individuals. What started as a blog to document the extraordinary in the ordinary lives of the people who made up his city soon became a social media phenomenon and slowly spread out to cover different countries. From Mexico to Iran, India to Uganda, Stanton has traveled far and wide to show the human side of different countries and cultures. The post on the Pakistani woman too went viral.

We have located the woman from yesterday’s post, and are in contact with her. We also have someone in Lahore who is… Posted by Humans of New York on  Friday, August 14, 2015

The woman’s story prompted a flurry of tweets to Stanton asking him if there was any way she could be helped. But the woman is on her own mission to be self-sufficient. Another photograph showed the mother and child with another man who said that she asked him to set up a stall at the Sunday market he works at. He is trying to help her with his limited means as she struggles with her health and finances.

“I’m trying to help her figure out her future. I was working at the Sunday market, and she asked me for help setting up… Posted by Humans of New York on  Thursday, August 13, 2015

After the emotional outpouring all over the internet, Stanton found the woman and connected her with organisations that could help. In an update to the original post, HONY posted an email id where people who wish to help can contribute. And if the mood on social media is anything to go by, help will come in large numbers.

@humansofny Please, Is There Anyway We Can Help Her? Donating & Stuff.

— Z. (@TheOnlyZiko) August 13, 2015

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@humansofny hi!!!! How do I get in contact with her??? I want to help, is there anything I can do

— L (@kakspls) August 14, 2015

@humansofny must be amazing to see what a post can do. There's plenty of good in the world. Thank you, you light up my day every time

— K (@kirstin_inger) August 15, 2015

Truly, one post on the internet can make a huge difference.