I-LAP distributes food packages amongst Christian communities

Islamabad : The Interfaith League Against Poverty (I-LAP) has launched a coordinated campaign to distribute food packages among the Christian workers who have lost their jobs and businesses because of ever increasing pandemic of Coronavirus (COVID-19) in the country.

To strictly adhere to the preventive and safety measures against the pandemic, I-LAP established a ‘food package distribution point’ instead of reaching out to the deserving individuals and families in their communities.

The eligibility criteria for receiving the ‘food package’ is the ‘daily wagers’ who have lost their livelihood because of the situation and those temporary employees who have lost their jobs because of closure of their offices.

“We ensured observance of three basic preventive and safety measures including washing of hands, sanitizing and maintaining a safe social distance during the distribution of food packages. Our volunteers guided every individual who turned up to collect the ‘food package’ in this regard and it was good to see that people strictly observed the guidelines during the process,” Chairman of I-LAP, Sajid Ishaq said.

“People strictly followed the guidelines and only one person, after thoroughly washing hands and appropriately sanitizing entered the distribution point at a time and immediately left the area after receiving the food package,” the I-LAP Chairman said. The Executive Director of I-LAP, Nazia Ansari, said that the event was also used as an opportunity to educate people, mostly living in slum areas where hygienic conditions indeed are not ideal, about the importance of observing the protective and preventive measures against the deadly pandemic.

“As most of these people are poorest of the poor and almost illiterate, they were not well aware of the preventive and safety precautions they need to follow against the deadly virus. So, each and every person who turned up to collect the food package was methodically and practically educated about these basic preventive measures,” Ms Ansari said.

She said that educating each individual during this event was like educating a whole family and eventually the whole community about the seriousness of the pandemic and how they can protect themselves and their near and dear ones in the family as well as those around them in the community.

The I-LAP Chairman said that the distribution of ‘food packages’ was launched from Lahore two weeks ago and now this campaign has been started in Islamabad as well.

“People from different clusters scattered all over the city are invited and only one person from a family is asked to come to collect the package. If the recipient is old or is too weak to carry the package, he is allowed to bring one person to help him carry the food package back home,” Sajid Ishaq said.

He said that so far distribution has been completed in 100 Quarters F-6/2, Hansa Colony G-8/1, Maskeen Colony G-8/1 and Allama Iqbal Colony G-7. “Tomorrow the ‘food packages’ would be distributed amongst the deserving persons and families from Golra Sharif and Iqbal Town area.

Bishop Ishaq Mazhar of National Baptist Church of Pakistan was also present at the ‘food package’ distribution ceremony along with the I-LAP Chairman Sajid Ishaq and the Executive Director Ms Nazia Ansari.