By Mahendra Bista
Biratnagar, Sept. 12: To prevent and control transmission of the coronavirus in the country, Nepal imposed a nationwide lockdown on March 24. This forced the general public indoors. With no one coming out, there was also no one giving alms to the needy. Beggars were literally starving in the streets.
This was too much for a group of youth in Biratnagar to see and they set out on a mission to feed the hungry. Their objective was to prevent anyone from dying of hunger.
The group has been feeding two meals a day, one in the morning and another in the evening, to the disadvantaged and helpless people of the city. Thursday was their 100th feeding day; they provided free food for 80 days in the previous lockdown and have been doing so for 20 days in the latest prohibitory order.
According to the group’s coordinator Wasim Aalam, the group feeds around 450 people daily.
“We are targeting those hit worst by the coronavirus-induced closures like the beggars that sit in front of shops and temples and eat what the people give them, people who make a living by collecting and selling waste plastic and glass thrown around the market and public transportation workers,” Aalam said.
Additionally, during the lockdown period, the group had also arranged for the food and accommodation of 164 students, who were living in Biratnagar on rent, people with disabilities who had been running small businesses and taking care of their families and 70 Indian workers left stranded by the Nepal-India border closure.
“The restrictions may have closed businesses but they haven’t closed people’s stomachs. That is why we try to provide food to as many people as we can,” Aalam said.
Pappu Ansari, a member of the group, informed that the group members covered the costs of the feeding programme out of their own pockets in the initial days. “Slowly, people started posting about our work on social media and more philanthropic individuals joined in. This helped us continue our free food campaign,” he shared.
Kopindra Singh, a farmer from Katahari Gaunpalika-4, Morang, has provided free vegetables throughout the campaign. People and entities from both inside and outside the country have also been supporting the campaign. However, the group has not yet taken any support from any government or non-government organisation, according to Deepa Darnal, another member of the group.
In order to promote transparency, a Facebook page has been set up under the Nepali name ‘Nishulka Khana Khuwaune Abhiyan, Biratnagar’. The page lists the names of all the donors and details of the assistance they provided.
Aalam explained how the campaign evolved and reached today’s status. “We started this campaign thinking it would only be for a few days. But once our work started, many people started praising us on social media and the media also featured us in their news. This allowed to keep going for a few weeks and then a few months and now, we have crossed 100th day milestone.”
Aalam said that former Prime Minister and chairman of the ruling Nepal Communist Party Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’ has also video called the group and congratulated them on their good work.
But now, as the lockdown has ended and prohibitory orders are being relaxed, the group is also thinking about changing its food distribution modality. It is considering limiting its food distribution to only one meal a day and focusing on those that are living a sedentary life because of chronic physical ailments, said Darnal.
Ganesh Thapa, a labourer who used to work at a catering company, and Dilip Chaudhary, who used to pick and sell thrown plastic, are two recipients of the youth group’s food aid.
They said that the group saved their lives by feeding them and said that they would remember this for the rest of their lives.