LAHORE:The Kasuri family and the Mahmud Ali Kasuri (MAK) Welfare Trust have pledged a combined Rs60 million towards the Covid-19 crisis engulfing the country. Of this, the Trust and the Kasuri family have contributed Rs20 million each to alleviate the hardship faced by deserving individuals through a Rs40 million fund, while a further Rs20 million is being contributed by the Trust to the Prime Minister’s Covid-19 Relief Fund.
The Rs40 million fund will be used to procure and distribute essential food items as ‘ration packs’ to deserving individuals, mainly daily-wage workers. These ration packs include necessary food supplies to help sustain a family of five for approximately one month. The activity will be carried out in Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad and Kasur from 13th April (today).
MAK Welfare Trust Chairman Mian Khurshid Mahmud Kasuri and Co-Chair Mr Nassir Kasuri said, “Since 1994, the Trust has been discreetly engaged in various welfare and education projects for the underserved without seeking publicity. We are now launching the campaign Har Qadam Pakistan Kay Saath to support daily-wage workers during these testing times. We also hope that our contribution to the Prime Minister’s Fund will make a small difference to the government’s effort towards combating this pandemic.”
The Mahmud Ali Kasuri Welfare Trust is privileged to have partnered with the highly-regarded Akhuwat organisation and will be using their extensive grassroots level networks in Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad to ensure that ration is distributed to only the most deserving families, whereas the MAK Trust will independently manage screening and distribution in Kasur. Prior to distribution, supplies will be stored at designated campuses of Beaconhouse and Concordia Colleges.
Mrs Nasreen Kasuri, Patron of the MAK Welfare Trust and Founder of Beaconhouse, said that there is a deeply ingrained culture of social responsibility at Beaconhouse, a key donor of the Trust.
Mrs Kasuri added: “While the initial drive is privately funded, many of our employees and students have also expressed a desire to play a role but cannot manage the procurement and distribution of ration on their own. In the next stage; therefore, we hope to create a pathway for the Beaconhouse community and others to contribute to this initiative on a voluntary basis. This will enable the Trust to extend its reach beyond our initial pledge.”
Mahmud Ali Kasuri (MAK) Welfare Trust, established in 1994, is an independent, non-profit organisation that works towards the development and uplift of the underserved. The Trust and its key donors, Beaconhouse, the Kasuri family, and Beaconhouse employees, have consistently responded with meaningful contributions during national crises, including the 2005 earthquake that devastated the northern areas of Pakistan, the IDP crisis of 2009, and the massive flooding of 2010 and 2014. Most recently, the MAK Welfare Trust contributed Rs22 million to the construction of student toilets and classrooms in 48 government primary schools in District Gujranwala.***