So far, the COSARAF Foundation has already provided the following additional support in response to the public health crisis:
• As the COSARAF Foundation’s Hardship Grants programme continues to and increasingly provides grants to those in most financial need, trustees have responded to a request from the Muslim Charities Forum to support their Campaign for National Solidarity. Trustees have agreed to ring fence £20,000 of the hardship fund (grants are typically between £500-£1,000) for applicants who are eligible for Zakat and proposed by grass roots charities.
• The Foundation has stepped in to provide additional support to The Noor Project in Lahore which has been approved as a centre for providing emergency food rations to some of the most vulnerable local communities. Thanks to an additional grant of £60,000, the team in Lahore will be able to provide some 1000 food ration packs over the next three months, each of which will support a family of six. In total, the Foundation’s support will provide 5400 meals for families most in need during the pandemic.
• In Karachi, the Foundation has been working closely with the team at the Fahmida Begum Foundation to ensure that its normal feeding programme for the poorest individuals in Mehran Town can be adapted to the challenges of the pandemic. The Foundation is unable to deliver its usual cooked meals at the current time, but is now distributing food rations so that those so dependent on the Foundation’s support – no more so than at the current time – can continue to count on this vital support.