Hyderabad: Sahayata Trust to distribute 10 million meals to 28K families this Ramadan

Hyderabad: Rupees 2250 - that’s roughly what one may spend on two large packs of Haleem from a popular Haleem joint, or dining out at one of the culinary superior restaurants. Even this scrumptious glory may have the shortest lifespan of a one-off. But for thousands of Muslim families, whose hopes for a decent meal are crushed by poverty and economic backwardness, that sum would mean the livelihood for an entire month!

Imagine the sheer distress and challenge people of underprivileged section face every day. Nearly 28,000 such families are surviving on an income of rupees 27,000 annually or just 2250 monthly. They are fighting everyday battles to make ends meet.

Hyderabad-based NGO Sahayata Trust has identified 28000 such families, who are being provided food kits for Suhr and Iftar throughout the month as part of its Ramadan relief program.

It aims to help the poor and deserving during the Islamic month of Ramadan with all its might and mettle. The campaign is of significant importance as it aims to cater 10 million meals collectively to these economically-challenged families. These meals will be distributed in the form of ration kits, and most of them are door-delivered by the trust’s numerous volunteers.

“There are countless people in deeper impoverished pockets who cannot afford a decent iftar, let alone celebrate Ramadan. We aim to help such families with at least two meals a day, for an entire month,” said Sahayata Trust CEO Syed Aneesuddin.

“We don’t believe that our humble contributions can solve the problems of these people overnight, but it eases their sufferings. Unlike most of us, many of these people are not fortunate to have a peaceful start to their day. They are constantly troubled by the hand-to-mouth earnings, both from living in such impoverished pockets where income opportunities are naturally less, and from lack of proper education.”

He hoped the trust will eventually overcome the problem with over 104 one-teacher schools it has constructed in different remote areas. In Moinabad, it manages Challenger Home, an orphanage for underprivileged girls, and also provides these girls with free education.

“Help the needy and feed the poor is the sole purpose of our organization. The organization’s numbers are stupendous and its areas of influence are diverse - from education to widow care, emergency response to disaster relief, and food distribution to feeding programs. For example, during the Covid-19 pandemic, Sahayata Trust reportedly distributed 16,456,740 (1.6 crore) ration kits, and roughly about 19 million cooked meals,” he said.

An engineer by profession and businessman by passion, Aneesuddin devises social change projects that are pressing priorities of the time. For example, during the flash floods in Hyderabad in 2020, he commissioned a phased rehabilitation program for flood victims that involved the Trust undertaking repair of houses, autos, and cabs that were damaged during the floods.

Similarly, he was instrumental in procuring the world’s largest batch of oxygen concentrators in Hyderabad during the Covid-19 pandemic in collaboration with other NGOs. Of equal importance is the trust’s feeding programs, and relief and charity work - that’s particularly vibrant and high-spirited during Ramadan.

Besides, Ramadan Relief, Sahayata Trust’s feeding program provides monthly groceries to 100 widows, most of them without any practical source of income. Additionally, its feeding program provides cooked meals to several destitute and homeless people.

As part of this campaign, several volunteers have indulged themselves in packaging, transporting, and distributing these relief materials.

Sahayata Trust is the Indian wing of Indian Muslim Relief and Charities, USA. It is one of the most vibrant Muslim charities based out of Chicago and managed by veteran philanthropist Manzoor Ghori. His brother Shahid Ghori, along with Sahayata Trust CEO Syed Aneesuddin shoulder the responsibility of implementing their social empowerment projects across 21 states in India.