Hyderabad: NGO renders yeoman service to society

Hyderabad: During these tough times of the Coronavirus pandemic, where a majority of poor people are finding it hard to sustain themselves, Mohammed Asif Hussain Sohail is braving all odds to make sure that these people do not to sleep with empty stomachs. He has providing food for more than 7,000 people daily and on the 21st day of lockdown he reached out to 1.5 lakh people. He also distributed rations among 3,000 families in slum areas in the city.

Reaching out to the poor and needy is not new to Sohail. For 10 years since the demise of his daughter due to pneumonia, he has been feeding the poor and running a free kitchen service near his residence in Tolichowki. He has been providing meal to around 300 for past five years under the banner of his NGO Sakina Foundation. He has around 200 volunteers help in cooking food, packing it and distributing packets in areas such as Mallepally, Mehdipatnam, Tolichowki, Golconda, Nampally, Yakutpura, Talabkatta, Shaheennagar, Errakunta, Barkas, Chandrayangutta, in slums of Banjara Hills and Jubilee Hills.

As part of his social work, Sohail also helped with funerals of three Coronavirus victims by providing personal protective equipment (PPE) among their kin. Rendering all that he can in the name of his daughter and father, he actively involves himself in health camps, breast cancer awareness programmes, youth development initiatives, women empowerment and safety, and child rights and safety and a host of other activities.

He has adopted around 1,200 children and takes care of their needs. Sohail does not accept any donations or help from others. He says hunger has no religion and, hence, his noble service to people of all classes and faiths. "People can call us on 8008008012 for food and rations," he pleads.