Compassion brings community closer in Aftabnagar

A report in this daily has highlighted people's natural instinct to hep each other, which is so crucial in a crisis situation. One hundred families in Aftabnagar have taken an exemplary initiative to address the food crisis amidst the pandemic. Members of the community—most of whom had lost their jobs as construction workers, rickshaw pullers, day-wage workers and house-helps, or were incurring losses in their small businesses—have undertaken the task of collecting, cooking and sharing their meals together. Worried that the economy of the nation was taking a blow from the lockdown, with earnings becoming scarce and essentials more expensive, Shiuly, an activist of a cultural platform, spearheaded the initiative two and a half months ago to start a family kitchen with the collaborative efforts of the community.

Following the setting up of the kitchen, those who were inactive immediately engaged themselves and contributed however they could. Other organisations and individuals also came forward to assist them. With the consent of the owners, they further used empty plots in the area and have successfully cultivated spinach, pumpkins, eggplants and more in abundance, which now help to feed all the 320 members of the 100 families in healthy portions. Even during the month of Ramadan and Eid, the kitchen had a festive air, as everyone shared whatever they received with each other and a strong sense of community prevailed.

The United Nations' World Food Programme has already warned that the world is at risk of "mega-famines". Even before the pandemic, there were already 135 million acutely hungry people in the world, in addition to the 821 million who were chronically hungry, and reports suggest that things may get worse. We applaud Shiuly for showing us the power of unity during such challenging times, proving that it is indeed possible to combat hunger and adversity when people work with each other for a common good. Despite the reopening of the economy, the underprivileged are still struggling to make ends meet and forecasts indicate that their situation may continue to deteriorate. Based on the success of the above initiative, we believe that similar models can be replicated across other communities. By properly planning and mobilising members of their own communities, local authorities can involve them in a productive manner. If given the opportunity, the above model can prove successful and help solve food scarcity to a great extent.