Ramazan project

Ramadan Food Program 2016

The Holy Month of Ramadan carries a special significance in the Muslim world as it instills profound feelings of unity, brotherhood and cohesiveness in the adherents of Islam. Apart from being an occasion to rejoice and enjoy the countless bounties of Allah, it also provides an opportunity to the Muslims to go extra miles to help out the ones living a less privileged life for any reason.

Keeping with its past traditions, human Appeal this year again used this occasion to bring relief and comfort in the lives of thousands of people in various parts of the country. Through distribution of food items, clothing and financial aid, it helped them fast and prepare for Eid without any hazel or botheration.

With widows, orphans and refugees as primary target, the program benefited well over 3270 families, a majority of whom belonged to the lowest strata of the society.

Iftar dinners in honor of needy people

An important component of the program, iftar dinners were arranged at different places at Bagh (AJ&K) and Swat to reach out to orphans, refugees and the needy people at large. At least 1,200 people participated in these events and openly shared their views about the issues they are faced with at the moment.

Like past several years, an iftar dinner was exclusively thrown in honor of Kashmiri refugees, living in camps at Mang Bajri, Azad Kashmir. Since 1990s, these people have been living there in highly unfriendly conditions and making both ends meet has always been a great challenge for them.

At another such an event held at an orphanage at Swat, inmates were entertained. Majority of the inhabitants at the center were reported to have lost their parents in the wake of a decade old insurgency in the area.

Distribution of food parcels and eid gifts

Distribution of food parcels, clothing and eid gifts also constituted an important part of the Ramadan Program of Human Appeal. For example, food parcels, comprising essential items, such as flour, oil, rice, pulses, salt, sugar and dates, were distributed to the needy people at Tharparkar, Kachra Kundi (Karachi), Mansehra and Bagh. Weighing around 53kg apiece, the food parcels were prepared keeping in view the ration requirements of an average family for the whole month of Ramadan.

Distribution ceremony held at Kachra Kundi deserves a special mention here as the beneficiaries of it lived in abject conditions. As the nomenclature suggests, the area is used as the dumping ground for the Karachi city to dispose of tons of garbage on daily basis. Let alone abiding, even passing by it is a horrible experience. However, as a matter of fact a large number of people still reside there. Over 300 families were provided with eid gifts and clothing on the occasion.

Last but not the least; as many as 327 orphans received eid gifts and clothing at Bagh and Mansehra, respectively. Similarly, 220 widows also received the special gifts and clothing at the two places and thanked Human Appeal for remembering them on the festive occasion.

Ramadan Program 2015

Orphans, widows, refugees and hunger struck reached

Each year, the HAI-Pak undertakes a series of activities during the holy month of Ramadan to express solidarity with those living on fringes, for whatsoever reason. Reaching to them is essentially important as failure on that count can eventually poise a direct threat to social cohesion and integrity.

The target beneficiaries this year included orphans, widows, Kashmiri refugees and drought ravaged people of Tharparkar. For instance, around 300 orphans were approached at Dhirkot (AJK) and Khushab (Punjab) and provided with special gift packs and cash money. The intent behind the gesture was to disengage them from the worries and tensions associated with the preparations to celebrate Eid festival befittingly at the end of the month.

Similarly, over 400 widows were provided with food parcels comprising essential items, including flour, cooking oils, pulses, energy drinks, rice and so forth. The beneficiaries belonged to Dhirkot, Mansehra and Khushab. A step further, they were also provided with clothes and hard cash to meet related expenditures. Some of the beneficiaries confided to live a solitary life, with no one around them at all to take care of them.

As a special gesture, an iftar dinner was also thrown in honor of the Kashmiri refugees who were living at make shift camps at Bagh ever since they migrated to AJK in 1990s to avoid Indian atrocities across the border. The HAI-Pak takes pride in reaching to these people on every important occasion such as Ramadan, Eid and Qurbani.

Earlier, food parcels weighing over 50kgs apiece were distributed among 1,000 families at Thatta and Tharparkar. The beneficiaries at Thatta belonged to perhaps the poorest of the poor in the country while those coming from Tharparkar were living on morsels in view of stubborn drought and negligible outside support.

Food distribution on the eve of Ramadan

750 families reached at Tharparkar

Each year, the HAI-Pak distributes food parcels in impoverished communities to provide relief to them during the holy month of Ramadan. The parcels are designed to meet at least one month dietary requirements of an average family, comprising five to seven persons.

Confronting with a devastating drought at the moment, the people of Tharparkar are the primary focus of the initiative this year and so far more than 750 families have been provided with food parcels in areas such as Islamkot, Libo, Morano and Diplo.

Weighing over 50 kg, each parcel contained essential food items such as cooking oil, pulses, rice, flour, dates, basin, dry milk, tea and energy drinks. Special preference was given to the families comprising widows, special people and ailing ones.

In the second leg of the program, many more families will be provided with food items for which need assessment process has already been finalized in close coordination with the field staff of the HAI-Pak at Tharparkar.

It needs to be underlined that the HAI-Pak is currently running several projects at Tharparkar which have received huge appreciation for their success and outreach. Be it solar water pumping or nutrition project for pregnant and lactating and seasonal programs-each initiative has turned out to be a great success story, cementing further the bond between the HAI-Pak and the people of Tharparkar.

Zakat-ul-fitr for Orphans

Zakat-ul-fitr project is specially designed for orphans in Pakistan. Under this project, eid gifts, including clothes and hard cash, are disbursed among orphans with an aim to integrate them in the main stream society. The cash support on this occasion also helps them meet expenses on their education and health, etc.

Feed & Fasting Project

This project enables the HAI to reach to the most vulnerable segment of the Muslim population which has no access to proper meal even in the holy month of Ramadan. A large number of people have benefited from this project, especially in AJK and KPK.