Around 2 am, in the dark of night on April 5, TCF alumni, Mairaj Sheikh and Mansoor Ahmed, led their community-based volunteer team of 60 members – most of them TCF alumni like themselves on a special assignment. It was the distribution of ration bags in the fishermen community of Rehri Goth on the coastal belt of Karachi. Mairaj and Mansoor who hail from the same area, in response to the TCF COVID-19 appeal, offered their help to identify families in Rehri Goth who had too little to nothing to eat since the coronavirus lockdown.

TCF in partnership with Karachi Relief Trust commences its relief work under COVID-19 Response Appeal 

Rehri Goth is a unique community settled on 17 dry ridges that surround the area. These ridges split the community further into 17 subcommunities or villages. As a first step, both these lead alumni put together a team of young volunteers to conduct household surveys across these villages. Together, they located the neediest of the needy households, and created lists will all necessary information, identifying 506 most deserving families. Based on their guidance, TCF’s COVID-19 Response team at the Head Office partnered with the Karachi Relief Trust (KRT), a disaster management voluntary organization to help fund the provision of ration bags to these families.

On the day, it was not until late at night did the action begin. TCF’s COVID-19 Response team had rented 17 goods carrying vehicles that were dispatched to TCF School in Rehri Goth where the KRT ration bags stockpiled, ready to be distributed. To prevent congregation and ensure the safety of the beneficiaries, it was decided that the bags will be delivered door to door at this time of the night, and TCF alumni would do that. At the TCF School – Rehri Goth, the KRT volunteers loaded all 17 vehicles with ration bags worth Rs 7,000 each as per the prepared lists. In about an hour or two, with that cranking noise, van engines sparked again and two TCF alumni hopped into the front seat of each vehicle along with the driver as it left. The distribution continued until daybreak.

The Citizens Foundation is grateful to the volunteers and management of the Karachi Relief Trust in supporting the relief efforts in the TCF Scholl communities.