KOCHI: Students Empowerment Foundation, a Kochi-based NGO, turned a life saver for around 450 HIV/AIDS-affected people in Ernakulam after the organisation resumed a food kit distribution programme of the district panchayat which had been stalled for the past several months.
The patients had been struggling for the past several months as many of them were dependent on the food kit distribution programme for marginalised communities. The programme was previously handled by another NGO. Due to the financial crunch, the NGO could not pay the rent for the building where the food items provided by the district panchayat were stored, and it backed out. Following this, the storage facility, along with the food grains, was locked up.
After learning about the plight of the HIV-affected persons, the Students Empowerment Foundation paid the pending rent amount and took over the programme two weeks ago. It was Ernakulam North police SHO Prathap Chandran who informed the NGO about the issue. “I received a complaint at the station about the crisis.
The building in Kathrikadavu, where the food kits were stored, had been locked for months due to pending rent amounts. Though the NGO approached several people and organisations, they couldn’t raise the amount. So, we discussed the issue with Aashith Raju, the founder of the Students Empowerment Foundation, who then mobilised the required money. The NGO has now taken over the initiative after settling the amount,” said Prathap.
“The members of the community were looking for someone who could coordinate the project. When Prathap sir told us about this, we decided to include the project in our magic project. After settling the rent for the last one-and-a-half years, we started distributing food kits to around 450 beneficiaries two weeks ago,” said Aashith.