NGOs prepare to feed needy during Ramzan

Several non-profit organisations in the city are working to provide wholesome food to those who are unable to prepare for sehri, a meal taken before sunrise during the holy month of Ramzan.

Several non-profit organisations in the city are working to provide wholesome food to those who are unable to prepare for sehri, a meal taken before sunrise during the holy month of Ramzan.

The Association of Muslim Professionals (AMP), a not-for-profit, which works in the fields of education and employment, will reach out to the kin of patients in several city hospitals and offer them sehri, to help them observe their daily fast during the month-long period.

HT Image

“It is difficult for people to get something substantial to eat early in the morning before they start their fast if they have spent the night in the hospital with an ailing relative,” said Aamir Idrisi, president, AMP. “We want to offer them food for the whole month.”

The group started this initiative last year, covering KEM hospital and Sion hospital. This year, they will be taking their services to several others, including BJ Wadia Hospital for Children in Parel, and Nair Hospital in Mumbai Central.

“We are confident of reaching at least 300 people,” said Idrisi.

The group has hired a catering company in Sewri to parcel as many as 300 plates a day. The parcels will contain pulav, biryani, kheema and other festive food items. The group has estimated its daily expenditure at Rs30,000 this year.

In another part of the city, a not-for-profit organisation has been bringing cheer to the children’s home in Dongri during Ramzan for seven years. Sayeed Khan’s group, called Right Way, gives more than 100 Muslim children at the home a choice of ragda patties and biryani instead of the bread and jam offered to them by the remand home authorities.

“It used to be difficult for these children to keep a fast after a meager meal. We decided to provide them with wholesome food and hired professional caterers,” said Khan. "We also organise an Eid celebration for them."