Amid the lockdown imposed to contain the spread of COVID-19,an Indian-origin safari operator based in Kenya isfeeding thousands of families there. Pankaj Shah started the initiativeafter he was devastated to see people starving and struggling to sustain themselves.?
¡°People were getting hungry and angry,¡± Shah told Reuters.??
According to?Reuters, Shah started getting in touch with people who were interested in lending a helping hand. Thankfully, a local school which was closed due to the? coronavirus outbreak offered?their campus premises as headquarters.??
Kenya's Asian community, which was officially recognised asthe country's 44th tribe three years ago, came together to contribute in everypossible way. They brought cheques or truckloads of food that could not be transporteddue to the suspension of flights.
Meanwhile, the volunteers, who call themselves Team Pankaj, have sentout 24,000 packages of food since March 22. Each hamper contains enough food tolast a family of five people for two weeks.
"One old woman told us she hadn¡¯t eaten for days - hersons had stopped supplying her because they have no work," Shah toldReuters.?Pankaj Shah finds his spirit for community service from his idol Mother Teresa whom he says he met decades ago in Nairobi.
Shah is urging wealthy Kenyans to donate 4,000 Kenyashillings (Rs 2,890) for the food packages. He pointed out that the amount isabout the cost of two pizzas and a bottle of wine.
"I just need half the rich people here to care enoughto fund a hamper," he said. Two lorries full of food were sent fordistribution in Deep Sea slum last week. Residents were given with orangetokens and had to get their fingers inked before getting the boxes and bags ofvegetables. Pregnant woman and those with babies were offered help byvolunteers.