ISLAMABAD – A local charity and non-for-profit – Shifa Foundation – has raised donation for around 21000 individuals belonging to the families of out-of-job daily wagers through no-touch-methods.
The communique issued by the Shifa Foundation announced on Wednesday that it received all donations within five weeks through no-touch-methods where a donor need not to visit a bank or touch the money in its physical form. The money was raised for Shifa Foundation’s “COVID-19 Response Ramadan Campaign Naiki Ko Unlock Karo”.
The presser quotes Tariq Khan – Lead Centre of Philanthropy and Community Services (COPS) – “Shifa Foundation launched the campaign in the second week of April. So far under this campaign more than 16000 beneficiaries had been provided food packages. This distribution was conducted in Islamabad, Punjab, Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. In coming weeks 5000 more such beneficiaries would be reached out.”
Giving details about the process of food distribution among the families of daily wagers, the presser quotes Adil Rauf – Manager Community Services – as stating “It was a delicate matter to organize food distribution this year. The verification of deserving families was done on telephone. The distribution stations were set at the common hubs. The social distancing Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) issued by the Government of Pakistan and World Health Organization (WHO) were being followed by the field staff in letter and spirit. The hands of all the beneficiaries were sanitized when arrive to collect food package. To avoid large crowds the food packages were delivered at the doorsteps of the beneficiaries. The beneficiaries were also given face masks and soaps to protect themselves from being infected.”
Giving more details about the COVID-19 Response Ramadan Campaign, Tariq Khan said “Shifa Foundation, over past few years, installed 155 water handpumps for the communities living in Thar desert. After this campaign we will be installing a hundred more before December. This campaign will also let us conduct medical treatment of around one hundred thousand deserving patients. Last but not least, twenties of students from interior Sindh and Baluchistan would get free education (tuition fee, boarding, messing and laundry.”
The presser also mentioned that a large number of celebrities and journalists had come forward in support of Shifa Foundation’s campaign. “The celebrities who, on voluntarily basis, supported the campaign include Bushra Ansari (Film/TV Actor), Imran Abbas (Model, Film/TV Actor), Irshad Bhatti (journalists and analyst Geo News), Gharidah Farooqi (anchor), Nadia Mirza (anchor PTV News), Beenish Saleem (anchor Neo News), Urooj Raza Sayyami (anchor Bol News),
