A SMALL EFFORT TO SUPPORT RIZQ FOUNDATION

                  

“Yaaaaaaar.”  This is our reaction to the news which announces further two weeks of lockdown. Many of us have been stuck inside our homes for almost a month now while the corona virus has taken over the streets. While some are utilizing this time to explore new talents, bond with families, play PUBG or catch up on missed TV series, it is true that most of us are going bonkers restricted to the four walls of our house and having nothing to do. We feel caged and restless, and tempers are rising by the day. Having a limited stock of food ingredients, we no longer have an option to eat an exquisite or personal favourite meal most of the time. The delicious varieties of crispy burgers and steaming nihari and spicy biryani have vanished into thin air and turned into plain daal chawal. Those in the habit of eating at roadside ‘hotels’ and drinking Kashmiri chai are irritated by this sudden clampdown on their tastes and have every right to be incensed and annoyed. But in this muddle, we forget about the plight of those most affected by this scary virus.

 I am pretty sure that if you went outside (hopefully for an essential errand) in the last few weeks, you would have seen crowds of shabby men and women squatting on chowks, main roads and side streets pleading for money. They will even have construction tools with them to pass of as ‘mazdoors’and household help, invoking pity to pleading for money to get basic essentials in their dire state. While it is true that the hardworking labour force of  90 million has been hardly hit by this deadly disease that is spreading like an invisible blanket around us to choke all of our resources, it is also an emerging fact that some of these people are employing these tactics for personal gains. This means that the already facility-deprived large chunk of our nation is being even denied the meager government and civil help that is pouring in. It is truly heart-breaking to see this.

Just put yourself in their shoes for a second. You are an electrician and have got 8 hungry mouths to feed at home. You live in a shack that is not big enough to even stretch your legs. You sleep on the uneven wooden floor, crumpled with your six kids, a wife and a coughing mother. This one room serves as your kitchen, living room, dining room, guest room and bedroom. You are barely making enough money to support one meal a day in the compressed economic conditions and work has slowed down terribly. Then the COVID-19 strikes and suddenly not only are you out of a job but also out of food. You are no longer able to make ends meet. Hungry, crying toddlers are exponentially increasing your stress and worry day by day. Your mother’s necessary medicines are out of stock and she spends the whole day coughing uncontrollably. In the midst of all this pain and anguish, you hear of some generous citizen distributing rations. You feel a ray of hope. You leave your shack, promising to return with some food, without any mask or gloves. And when you arrive there after risking your life, you see a mob swarm around the gray-haired citizen banging on his car, a single person grabbing more than 5 ration bags (that are enough for a family of six to survive a month) and still asking for more, you see the citizen driving off in a frenzy after the mob tries to rob him, and you see the greedy person laughing off as he proudly shows off his 25 ration bags to his envious neighbour. You see all this and what will you feel? How would you return home empty-handed knowing that your children are starving? How would you able to look into their eyes when you know they have their hopeful eyes glued to the entry flap, eager for your return?

This is where Rizq steps in. Rizq is a non-for-profit organization that believes in the incumbent need to fundamentally transform our society. It believes in equal opportunities to all, regardless of race, religion and culture. Started only five years ago, it has swiftly established its image as a leading NGO in Pakistan. Started by a trio of university students, it has won many international recognitions like being included in the esteemed Top 20 social enterprises for South Asia and being named among the Top 3 NGOs in Pakistan, all within a span of five years. The reason behind Rizq’s spiraling success is that it has the passion, the technology and the support to do wonders. In this recent unfolding crisis of corona virus, Rizq strives to ensure that no one sleeps hungry. It has launched a nation-wide Ehsaas Karo Campaign which has gained appreciation and commendation from respected individuals from all walks of life. From celebrities like Momin Saqib to sports legends like Aisam-ul-Haq, everyone is endorsing this efficient and hardworking organization that not only provides for the destitute but also its volunteers by ensuring their safety through free masks and gloves. Over the years, many leading business giants like Daraz, Bykea and Samsung have joined hands with Rizq because it has the potential to grow into something grand with proper teams allocated for each department: efficient mechanisms and international guidelines already set in place.

In these testing times, Rizq has vowed to provide for its needy members of society. To ensure the integrity of the process, all incoming requests are verified through CNIC and the existent database before logistics are dispatched with the gifts from society. The donors and receivers are then called at the end of the day to ensure complete transparency and exact details, pictures and videos are shared with the donors to satisfy them. Teams even offer to leave ration bags outside doors if a family refuses to be photographed and publicized, to maintain and uphold the dignity of all beneficiaries that are the foundation of our community. This transparent, magnificent procedure allows Rizq to earn the trust of not only the donors but also the beneficiaries due to their compassionate and genuine approach in helping them stand up on their own two feet. As the Mission Statement says:

Lack of compassion is true poverty. Its abundance is Rizq.

 WANT TO HELP?

Help achieve Rizq’s target of reaching 100,000 families in Phase 2 by logging on to sharerizq.com and donating through credit card, bank transfer, Easy Paisa or you can even have TCS officials collecting from your doorstep in 24-48 hours! The donating process is fairly efficient and magnificently swift and it recreates the fun experience of shopping online, only this time you are buying lives instead of groceries.