Karachiites unstring their purses for those hit by lockdown
People start distributing food items among daily-wage workers in the city
PHOTO: FILE
KARACHI:
They say a crisis brings out the best and the worst in people. This is what the novel coronavirus pandemic is doing in Karachi. Profiteers are using the pandemic to their use to make some easy money, selling protective medical equipment at inflated rates. At the same time, there are others who, imbued with the spirit of humanity, have unstrung their purses to help their fellow citizens.
The metropolis is in lockdown to stem the proliferation of the deadly contagion. However, the lockdown has hit the daily-wage workers hard - something the prime minister has repeatedly warned about as he remains reluctant to order a countrywide lockdown.
In the port city, though, some affluent people have started pooling money to help the daily wagers. And they are doing this inconspicuously. Karachiites have always been generous; be it Ramazan, Eid or a natural crisis, they have always stepped forward to donate with an open heart.
Tales of survivors: How I became Pakistan's first COVID-19 patient
In Central district, a group of rich people have started distributing food items to the families of daily-wage workers in different neighbourhoods, not just systematically but also discreetly.
They quickly did a survey of the district to identify the families they knew would suffer if the city locks down, surviving as they do on daily wages. Then, they dropped off food items at their doorsteps.
"We are doing this for Allah. He will reward us," said Sheikh Mohammad Zaid, the man supervising the campaign. He requested that neither the neighbourhood nor the recipients of food items be identified, explaining that they did not want publicity.
He appreciated the government decision to lock down the city to contain the spread of the coronavirus. "This is a global pandemic. We need to stay home to prevent the spread of the virus," he added.
"There are many respectable families in our area who earn their living on a daily basis. They have no food reserves," he said. "Some of our friends decided to distribute food items to these families because they would never beg."
And so, they are distributing bags of food to about 100 families. Each bag contains five kilogrammes of flour, two kilogrammes of rice, cooking oil, soap, pulses and other kitchen items - enough to get each family through 15 days.
"Each bag cost us around Rs3,000. We are delivering these bags secretly at their doorsteps to protect the dignity of these families," said Zaid.
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Instead of asking others for donations, they pooled their money to arrange these bags. "If we have more resources, we will help more families - and even extend the campaign to other districts of the city," he said.
Zaid pointed out that the government alone could not do everything. "The affluent people must come forward to help the needy in these difficult times," he added. "Karachiites are generous - they have proved this on a number of occasions."
Expressing the hope that their campaign would be replicated by others at the union council level, he appealed to the government to create a system in which the needy could easily receive relief goods. "We will stay united and take precautions. And Insha Allah, together we will defeat this pandemic," he said.
Watch the video here:
Published in The Express Tribune, March 26th, 2020.
They say a crisis brings out the best and the worst in people. This is what the novel coronavirus pandemic is doing in Karachi. Profiteers are using the pandemic to their use to make some easy money, selling protective medical equipment at inflated rates. At the same time, there are others who, imbued with the spirit of humanity, have unstrung their purses to help their fellow citizens.
The metropolis is in lockdown to stem the proliferation of the deadly contagion. However, the lockdown has hit the daily-wage workers hard - something the prime minister has repeatedly warned about as he remains reluctant to order a countrywide lockdown.
In the port city, though, some affluent people have started pooling money to help the daily wagers. And they are doing this inconspicuously. Karachiites have always been generous; be it Ramazan, Eid or a natural crisis, they have always stepped forward to donate with an open heart.
Tales of survivors: How I became Pakistan's first COVID-19 patient
In Central district, a group of rich people have started distributing food items to the families of daily-wage workers in different neighbourhoods, not just systematically but also discreetly.
They quickly did a survey of the district to identify the families they knew would suffer if the city locks down, surviving as they do on daily wages. Then, they dropped off food items at their doorsteps.
"We are doing this for Allah. He will reward us," said Sheikh Mohammad Zaid, the man supervising the campaign. He requested that neither the neighbourhood nor the recipients of food items be identified, explaining that they did not want publicity.
He appreciated the government decision to lock down the city to contain the spread of the coronavirus. "This is a global pandemic. We need to stay home to prevent the spread of the virus," he added.
"There are many respectable families in our area who earn their living on a daily basis. They have no food reserves," he said. "Some of our friends decided to distribute food items to these families because they would never beg."
And so, they are distributing bags of food to about 100 families. Each bag contains five kilogrammes of flour, two kilogrammes of rice, cooking oil, soap, pulses and other kitchen items - enough to get each family through 15 days.
"Each bag cost us around Rs3,000. We are delivering these bags secretly at their doorsteps to protect the dignity of these families," said Zaid.
No coronavirus case was imported from China: PM Imran
Instead of asking others for donations, they pooled their money to arrange these bags. "If we have more resources, we will help more families - and even extend the campaign to other districts of the city," he said.
Zaid pointed out that the government alone could not do everything. "The affluent people must come forward to help the needy in these difficult times," he added. "Karachiites are generous - they have proved this on a number of occasions."
Expressing the hope that their campaign would be replicated by others at the union council level, he appealed to the government to create a system in which the needy could easily receive relief goods. "We will stay united and take precautions. And Insha Allah, together we will defeat this pandemic," he said.
Watch the video here:
Published in The Express Tribune, March 26th, 2020.