LAHORE: At a time when the scourge of coronavirus poses a great challenge to humanity, a group of students has decided to stand up and be counted.

These students of various institutions are part of non-government organisations (NGOs) which have banded together to meet the challenge of reaching out to the deserving people by providing them with ration. As Ramazan has just begun and a segment of society is in need of succour, they say they have undertaken the responsibility of providing ration to the families who otherwise can’t get these due to lockdown.

“Today, when the world is undergoing an awful and gloomy experience of seemingly intractable coronavirus outbreak, most people have no option but to live under a state of partial or full lockdown. Someone has to take responsibility for the cause of the distressed,” says one of the students actively engaged in the project.

During these testing times, he says, doctors, paramedics, policemen, media workers and civil society activists are truly playing the role of front line soldiers and the government is giving them commendable support.

Quite a number of NGO workers are volunteering to work shoulder to shoulder with the government and other professionals to help the needy. They are engaged in raising funds, identifying the needy and distributing ration packages. Among these charities are Aas-i-Kausar Foundation (working at the national level for uplifting single women financially), Change Makers of Pakistan (working for highlighting impacts created by local social workers) and We Grow (working for people living in slums in Lahore and Sialkot) – each chipping in with valuable contributions in this regard.

“Thousands of low-income households have been given ration packages and other necessary supplies by these student-driven NGOs and their services are not confined to Lahore,” said Zeeshan Shahid, Aas-i-Kausar Foundation’s deputy director, who has been able to distribute ration for 250 families in southern Punjab areas of Chowk Azam and Kot Addu with the help of donors.

Young fellows using their connections rightly, remain in touch with the deserving people and donors in order to have expeditious availability of the necessary items, said Maryam Afzal Madni who is the chief operating officer of Change Makers of Pakistan.

They also highlighted problems many social workers face from time to time.

“It is often said that Pakistanis are one of the most generous people in the world when it comes to charity. What goes unnoticed is the fact that government or officials concerned are sometimes not much supportive or forthcoming and no proper model has been designed for the help of these NGOs. For example, the registration process and regulation of their financial systems create dismal environment for the ambitious and genuinely sincere people aiming to run charities. This strange reluctance on part of the government institutions discourages people from establishing their charity trusts and NGOs,” said Zeeshan Ahmad who is Finance Secretary of Aas-i-Kausar Foundation in Lahore.

“This behaviour further transforms into another form when common people also start distancing themselves from NGOs and prefer to donate privately and a larger part of the donation goes unfiltered, with no effective participation in formal economic activity of the country,” he said.

He stressed that Prime Minister Imran Khan, who is also globally regarded as one of the top contributors to social causes in Pakistan, must now acknowledge the significance of welfare institutions and the lives attached with them. His reliance on volunteers by making Tiger Force during these testing times, he said, was a positive step and he should also pave the way for other institutions to do their bit for the national cause.

Published in Dawn, April 27th, 2020