Volunteers distribute ration among poor families in Kohat

PESHAWAR: A group of philanthropists from Kohat has started providing ration to the poor families affected by the lockdown-like situation due to coronavirus.

Kind-hearted people from the district, including politicians, social workers and other notables recently came together to devise a plan to assist the poor jobless labourers in these testing times. A team of volunteers was raised with the name of Emergency Response Unit Kohat. The members were divided into subcommittees comprising Planning, Finance, Purchasing and Distribution.

A proper web the portal was created where volunteers entered data of the most deserving people. “Twelve thousand such families have been identified to date. Distribution of ration has already begun. The effort received a boost when star cricketer Shahid Afridi joined the campaign,” Khurram Zeeshan Advocate, one of the members the group, told The News. He added 1300 families had been provided ration so far. Kohat is surrounded on three sides by erstwhile Fata, an area devastated by the decade long ferocious wave of terrorism.

This led to the migration of people from tribal areas to Kohat in huge numbers. Most of these people belong to the poorest strata of our society and largely comprise of daily wagers and non-technical labourers. Khurram said the group considered the option of giving away cash to people but then decided against it because of the risk of people’s exposure to the virus while going out and possible difficulty in finding food items at a controlled rate.

“Bulk purchase from utility, stores has helped in obtaining items at the lowest possible rates” said Khurram, who is also a poet and a former judge. He added the outbreak of coronavirus has left a lot of deserving people along with other locals without work.