Photo by Srimathi Jayaprakash
When a young woman knocks on Aamir's door and her fear of hunger is greater than her fear of Corona, he knows he must act to help his community survive the lock-down.
What he does, and how his team and community come together so quickly is a lesson for us all (and something to be part of, if we so wish)
A woman, then her child, called out “Haqooq-ul-ibaad” (duty we owe to mankind). “You are angels,” they cried, and I cannot forget their smiles as we moved on to the next home to deliver another package.
We are just a team of a few boys from Bhopal, India - Aamir Faiz, Imran Khan, Tahir Hussain, Danish Rasheed, Syed Nadir, Azeem Khan, Musaif Khan, Qasim Hussain, Arbaaz Faiz and Alfaaz Faiz. We are doing our best to help the needy in our community. Each morning we rise to distribute food to the daily wagers, widows and poor, who have no means to provide food for themselves during the Corona lock-down.
India, the second most populated country in the world is now in Corona lock-down. From the day the lock-down was announced, middle class people, business owners and peoples with savings, gathered outside grocery shops to buy food for the 21 days. Sadly, the colonies of people who work to earn enough money for food each day, didn’t even know about the lock-down.
By day three, people started visiting door to door begging for money or food. I knew it was serious, when a young woman and her two children knocked on our door. She was fearful, more of the hunger, than of the Corona.
I gave her food. “Shukria - Aamir Bhai,” (thank you Brother) she said. It was in that moment I realized there were so many more people who needed our help.
... a young woman and her two children knocked on our door, begging for food. She was fearful, more of the hunger, than of the Corona.
I gathered my team together and we went into action …
The A Team arranged donations by visiting homes in the Saeed Colony, telling them about our plan. Many families in the colony supported us. A few turned us away, not even wanting to hear about efforts. But we collected a reasonable amount of money.
Team B searched for the best priced items. In the beginning we bought grocery items at standard prices, but after purchasing more, the shop owners provided items at cost because they loved our idea and also wanted to contribute to the needy somehow.
Team C started packaging. Each package includes four items - wheat, rice, pulses and oil.
Team D surveyed nearby localities, contacting local people to get a list of those needing our help. They connect to a local person in each area and ask for a list of people who work on daily wages, widows and the poor.
So far, we have helped 300+ families, but there are still many in need. There are over 1200 families in our area and local colonies.
We will continue our work, arranging donations so that we can help every family. We believe “khidmat se khuda milta hai” and our goal is to provide for all families in need. Please, if you can find it in your heart to contribute to our work, reach out to me here.
I thank everyone who is kindly helping us. We cannot express the feeling of love we receive from people who have lived without food for days. And even though our workload is far heavier during this time, we will not get tired of doing this work.
Families need our help. They need us. These people will not be alone in lock-down.
Find out more about Aamir and how you can help ...
Aamir Faiz is the CEO of WPGeared.
He and his team provide online businesses with website technical support, website design and development, speed optimization, search engine optimization, social media optimization and technical improvements.
Since the onset of the Corona virus lock-down in India, Aamir has headed up a team to provide relief to those in need in his community and surrounding localities.
Find out how you can help by contacting Aamir direct here. or leaving a comment below.
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What an amazing thing is being done in India. What a blessing to those hungry and in need.
Aamir and his friends are angels indeed. When I hear people complain of being bored at home, it strikes a nerve because they don’t realize how privileged they are. I’m a teacher and we created a teacher caravan, where we drove through the neighborhoods of our students to say hello and bring cheer. I left that experience feeling broken, seeing the homes and conditions some of my students live in. Since this has started, my school district, has been arranging food pickup and distribution for families that are impoverished. I can’t say enough how much our current world needs people like Aamir who can help to help. God bless you and your teams.
Thank you Kimberlie. And thank you for the work you are doing for your students and communities. We would be delighted to feature a story on your work.
What amazing work! I’ve been praying for the migrant workers in the Asian continent after I heard an Economist podcast about how the poor around the world, especially migrant workers, are the most hard hit economically during this pandemic. Will also be donating to charities that help such people during this time. Thank you for this story.