ZUBAIR QURESHI
Quaid-e-Azam University (QAU) students and faculty members are on the frontline to provide food and financial assistance to the daily wage workers. A number of former and current students (“Quaidians” as they are called) on Tuesday distributed 500 packets each containing cooked rice, vegetables, soap and locally made sanitizers among the labourers and poor families that daily come to the shrine of Imam Barri located closed to the university. These poor men and women otherwise get food and some money at the shrine but since the Islamabad district government has closed it down as part of its lockdown campaign, they have to return hungry and empty-handed from there. Two students, Shakeela and Nadia who are part of the university students’ campaign to distribute food among the poor said besides food, they also distributed among them awareness pamphlets, hand sanitizer and soaps for their safety. Ghulam Hussain, another student said the labourers and other visitors to the shrine were also briefed how important it was to observe social distancing and wash their hands with soaps after regular intervals. We also told them how they could implement this in their lives. Besides, an online delivery service provider, “Deliver It” has distributed more than 10,000 face masks and hand sanitizers with the help of the Islamabad Capital Territory Authority (ICTA) Volunteers Task Force in rural areas of Islamabad to help fight coronavirus. “Deliver It” has also developed an app to help the residents place orders for online food and grocery items. Deliver IT has already given away 10,000 face masks and 1000 sanitizes to people in sectors G-9, G-10 and G-11 for personal use. According to Deliver IT, it offers free delivery of food and grocery items including fruits, vegetables, snacks, beverages, dry fruits, personal and household items on the doorstep of customers in Islamabad.
