Kounsar Bashir/ Imran Bonyari
The pandemic has taken quite a toll over the Kashmir Valley, especially since the second wave arose. The second wave of Covid-19 attacked right when the masses and the government had almost normalized social gatherings and the healthcare infrastructure crumbled down in front of the rise of Covid-19. People realized it soon that they are on their own and hence, they took it upon themselves to help each other.
Various NGOs and other volunteer organizations have been helping those in need in every possible way, be it availing food for those who are alone, or gathering money for those who cannot afford the expenditure of the treatment.
Here’s a brief account of the Covid-19 volunteer organizations and NGOs that The Kashmiriyat got in touch with. These organizations are proving to be lifesavers by helping hundreds of people amid the pandemic.
SRO Kashmir: Providing oxygen concentrators, cylinders to Covid patients for absolutely free.
An NGO based in the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir, called ‘SOS Kashmir’ is providing oxygen concentrators, cylinders, and food kits to Covid patients under ‘Oxygen Kashmir’ and ‘Food for the Poor’ initiatives absolutely free of charges.
Amid the massive surge in Covid-19 cases and an acute shortage of life-saving medical supplies including oxygen concentrators and cylinders, an NGO in Kashmir called SRO (Social Reforms Organisation) Kashmir is providing these requisites at the doorsteps of underprivileged Covid patients absolutely free of any costs.
The NGO is reaching out to those who are facing difficulties in getting oxygen concentrators.
“We work for the upliftment of the deprived sections of the society. Since the pandemic hit, we have seen many people die due to the lack of basic facilities. These people lack basic necessities like healthy food and hygiene, let alone oxygen concentrators and cylinders. We decided that we should run a campaign to help such people,” said Afaaq Ahmad, core member and the Head of ‘Oxygen Kashmir Initiative’.
The Food for Poor Initiative
“Back during the first wave of COVID-19, our team had taken up an initiative, under which we would deliver monthly food kits comprising of essentials to the needy and deprived families of the Kashmir. We have plotted our volunteers in almost all the districts of Kashmir who are reaching out to the families who are in dire need of food,” told one of the office bearers of SOS Kashmir.
“Under the Food for Poor initiative, we have successfully catered 1500 families, compromising of about 9000 individuals, since the month of April 2020 to May 2021 and the process is still going on,” he added.
Verifying Leads
Once it is verified that the person in need cannot afford the costly equipment required for Covid treatment, the NGO gives out the equipments free of cost till the patient has recovered. So far, the organization has catered around 12000 patients, since the launch of ‘Oxygen Kashmir’. There are 250 Oxygen concentrators that have been circulated to patients across Kashmir. Moreover, two ambulances are also roaming for the people on the outskirts of Srinagar.
While talking to The Kashmiriyat, Mr. Aqib, one of the beneficiaries who took oxygen cylinder for his patient from SRO Kashmir said, “We were in dire need of an oxygen cylinder, however, I put out a request on social media and within one day, I got the cylinder.”
‘Food for Kashmir’: This Kashmir based Food delivery service is providing free food to COVID patients and the frontline workers
A couple based in J&K has started a unique initiative of philanthropy, which has gained a lot of popularity throughout Kashmir. Amid the restrictions put in place by the government, following the COVID-19 pandemic, many patients inwards are hardly getting food to eat.
Amid all the chaos, another campaign called ‘Food for Kashmir’, launched by a Srinagar-based food delivery service, namely ‘Tiffan Aaw’, aims to provide the best home-cooked food on the doorsteps of the COVID-19 patients and the frontline workers who are running out of food in hospitals. The campaign, which started on social media, has received applause from different sections of society.
Rayees Ahmad Bhat, who is the managing director of ‘Tiffan Aaw’, receives a lot of distress calls from those outside Kashmir, who want to deliver the food to their loved ones who are stuck in Kashmir and are COVID positive. Bhat, along with his wife Rahina Rehman, took this initiative which aims to deliver home-cooked hygienic food at the doorstep of all those stranded patients and frontline workers who are running out of food in Kashmir.
While talking to The Kashmiriyat, Rayees Ahmad Bhat, Founder and the Managing Director of ‘Tiffan Aaw’ told, “Food for Kashmir is an initiative by ‘tiffin aaw’. Under this initiative, we deliver food packets to hospitals, houses, and covid wellness centers. People in hospitals crave for home-cooked meals, that’s why we provide them home-cooked food. It brings a smile on their face. We are a small startup and it’s just been a year. People call us, and we give out food to people without asking for money. And some among those people, are so touched that they tell us that they want to sponsor other covid positive families or patients”.
It is pertinent to mention that Bhat’s initiative of delivering Hygenic and home-cooked food has been appreciated by various national and international personalities and it has resulted in the success of his startup.
Nida Rehman, Marketing Director and co-founder of ‘Tiffan Aaw’, who also happens to be Rayees Ahmad’s wife, while talking to The Kashmiriyat said, “Food for Kashmir was started recently, we received a lot of distress calls from the people whose families were covid positive and who were not able to pay for their food. We, as a start-up, would not have been in the position to give free food to this many people. So, we thought that we need to do something and that’s when we started a campaign where people would sponsor food for those who will not be able to pay. And here we are, we got great responses from all across.”
‘Khair – e- Aam’ is at the forefront helping those in need
Amid lockdown ‘Khair-e-Aam’ has helped saving lives with oxygen cylinders, oxygen concentrators, blood, food, plasma, and financial help to the needy.
‘Khair-e-Aam’ Trust of South Kashmir’s Anantnag district, was founded by Dr. Qazi Nissar in the late 1980s and is now led by his son Qazi Ahmed Yasir, who is the chairman of Ummat-e-Islamiya, Jammu Kashmir —a socio-political organization. Qazi Yasir was in jail and released last year after the court quashed his PSA.
Qazi Umair, a volunteer, talking to The Kashmiriyat said, “We are working on different initiatives like distribution of food packets, oxygen, concentrators, face-shields. We have many volunteers who deal with blood donations and plasma donations, as well.”
‘SOS JK’ has been getting people help in every possible way, in this time of devastation
‘SOS JK’ was started by a group of friends (volunteers), a month ago after witnessing the chaos in Delhi’s covid crisis.
Ifra Jan, a volunteer, talking to The Kashmiriyat said, “We collect database for everything, be it oxygen, blood, ambulances, doctors, concentrators, which makes it easy for the needy. Every morning, we (volunteers) check the database for stock availability.”
She said that if a person needs oxygen urgently and puts up a request on any social media platform, their team calls them and tells them the nearest place they can get the oxygen without wasting any time.
“Cases, where the patients have multiple problems, do take a lot of time, given they need medical and financial assistance at the same time,” she added.
Earlier this month, JK government had issued an order to stop oxygen supply to NGOs without the approval of the administration. The order stated that oxygen supplies to private persons, societies, NGOs would be facilitated only with prior approval of the district magistrate.
“After refilling the oxygen cylinders, we have to report to the authorities on a regular basis even if the patient needs it on daily basis,” Umair said. “There’s this one patient in SKIMS Soura, who managed to refill the cylinder but we had to take it back from them to show it to authorities,” he added.
The order came when a number of NGOs were providing oxygen cylinders to the homebound covid-19 positive patients.
Ifra Jan stated, “On the day when the government issued this order, we faced immense difficulties, we did not know how to get authorization because the government had not given any rules by the time for authorization.”
She said that Refilling in Srinagar had stopped almost for a day because it took time to get permission.
“All of our work was messed up because we had to send our patients to Khanmoh during the night when some critical patients needed oxygen. It was on the next day that the government issued email ID and WhatsApp ID to get permission,” she added.