Kyrie Irving continues to prove that he is quite a humanitarian!
This time the NBA superstar is providing a Pakistani village with clean water.
According to Nets Daily, Tharparkar, located in Pakistan’s Sindh province is one of the poorest parts of one of the world’s poorest countries.
After realizing the lack of water resources in the area and that the district has been suffering from a drought for 17 consecutive years, a Michigan-based non-governmental organization (NGO) that has Pakistani roots decided to take action. And, thankfully, Irving and his KAI Family Foundation stepped in to help as well.
The Paani Project set a goal to construct a solar-powered water plant in Tharparkar’s poorest village, Rohal — deemed one of the hottest places on the planet — and Irving and his foundation provided the funds.
NBA superstar and humanitarian Kyrie Irving built a Paani solar water center in Sindh with his K.A.I. Family Foundation 😊🌙 pic.twitter.com/ELI8zOYfPr
— پانی Paani (@PaaniProject) July 28, 2021
“I reached out to his foundation directly and told them about Paani,” said Sonny Khan, the Pakistani-American who founded and serves as the director of the Paani Project. “How we have $0 in overhead costs. How we give all of our money to the people. How we record everything from start to finish. How we’ve raised over $1 million as volunteers without any money for marketing.”
While Khan didn’t get a chance to meet Irving directly, the process was swift. From his initial call to the KAI Family Foundation to the completion of the project, the process only took four months.
“Kyrie has always been one of my favorite players,” said Khan, according to Nets Daily. “One day I was just scrolling online and came across his surreal track record of philanthropy. I was surprised to see how much work he’s done in Africa, the work he’s done for low-income communities, and work towards women’s empowerment.”
Irving and his foundation worked with the Paani Project to not only provide the village with clean water, but to also fund solar-powered basics like power for lighting and fans at local schools and mosques. Along with equipping local children with hand lights to maneuver around the village, they also provided the village with a small farm to help with food sustainability.
The organization has also built relationships with construction partners in Pakistan along with the United Nations Development Program and the U.S. Agency for International Development which has aided in the completion of the project in a timely manner.
The 22-year-old also shared why he thinks Irving lended a helping hand to him and his team.
“I think our story of being kids’ who just wanted to help resonated,” shared Khan who is a recent graduate of the University of Michigan.