In these unprecedented times, LUMS students are rising to the occasion and driving their focus to assist those who are most impacted by the global pandemic. Mubashar Saleem, an Accounting and Finance student at the Suleman Dawood School of Business at LUMS, is a passionate individual who is directing his organisation’s focus to help those who have been affected by the countrywide lockdown.
Given the impact of COVID-19 and the accompanying measures of safety, daily wage workers in the nation have been severely impacted. Mr. Saleem shares, “The situation on ground is quite vulnerable. Daily wage workers have not been able to earn a rupee in more than three weeks as Pakistan battles an outbreak of the coronavirus. People are not afraid of dying from disease, but from hunger.”
Therefore, Mr. Saleem's organisation, HELP, initiated a ration drive. He established HELP in 2019 along with 9 of his peers at LUMS who joined hands to contribute to the betterment of society. Their vision is to become the number one platform in Pakistan for all fundraising matters related to education and health.
With the help of generous donors and supporters, the team has successfully raised over PKR 450,000 for the drive and used the funds to serve over 200 families with ration. To avoid mass gathering, the team members make the effort to visit the families and distribute ration in their homes. Moreover, instead of distributing all packages on a single day, they distribute a small number of packages each day. This ensures the safety of the team members and the people served.
The team considers this just to be the beginning. HELP has identified several families in Lahore, Taxila and Multan who require assistance during the lockdown. Mr. Saleem adds, “We have decided to continue this ration drive. Our major focus will be the transgender community. We might as well fund personal protective equipment’s for health care workers in our areas, but that depends on the funds. We are short of funds and need more to deliver the ration bags to deserving families.
“The critical situation which our fellow Pakistanis are going through demands us who are privileged enough to have three meals a day to share our resources with them. Team HELP is hopeful that the LUMS community, and more people will step forward and help us in this noble cause.”
To participate in HELP’s campaign, you can transfer money to their account:
Account Holder's Name: Tabarak Ahmad
Bank Name: HBL Bank Account
Account number:
0022687106608403
Branch Code: 2268
