CHENNAI: "Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much,” so the adage goes. With a team of over 100 volunteers, ‘Nourishment for Needy’, an NGO based in Chennai, knows the power of togetherness. The group led by A Hakim Peer (47) tries to reach everyone in need – of food, shelter, medical care, education, and employment.
The organisation, which was formed in 2020, during the Covid-19 pandemic, has so far raised around Rs 2 crore in funds and helped improve the lives of at least 8,000 people in and around the city.
It has been a very personal venture for Hakim Peer who had started off by simply helping a friend. From there, his activities slowly grew in scale and soon he understood the need for a bigger team to support as many individuals as possible. The assistance that began by using his personal funds slowly moved onto crowdfunding and donations.
The students of Ennore Kumaran Special School (government-aided) in the outskirts of the city have been the top-most beneficiaries of the team’s activities. Hakim Peer says, “Initially, we provided food for a few students here on certain days. But soon, we realised that the need is much bigger as most of the students are from economically weak backgrounds. Thus, we slowly expanded our activities. Now, we are proud to say that our NGO has been feeding all the students here daily, for the past one and a half years.”
The principal of the special school, B Senthamil Selvi (54), expresses her gratitude to Hakim. “We used to get donations, especially food, only once in a blue moon from those who wanted to celebrate their birthdays, wedding anniversaries, and other occasions. We can’t entirely rely on them but most of the parents of the 45 students here rely on us, hoping we would manage to provide for them. Now, we do not have any such worries, thanks to Hakim Peer’s NGO,” she says.
Other than providing food to the students, Hakim Peer also appoints teachers, caretakers, and physiotherapists for the school utilising the NGO’s funds.
“As of now, the school has a seven-seater van for picking up and dropping children. This facility is inadequate as all students require this crucial service. So, we are planning to buy a 12-seater van for the school. We are awaiting some more funds so that it can be done as soon as possible,” he says.
The extent of their activities does not end here though. Through their ‘Free Food for all in Vandalur’ programme, nearly 100 homeless people get lunch every day. The food is freshly prepared and distributed every afternoon.
Speaking about other activities of the NGO, Hakim says, “We have organised a women empowerment programme by providing them with tools as well as opportunities. Economic empowerment through education and entrepreneurship is crucial. We mainly organise tailoring classes for women and provide sewing machines free of cost.”
One of the beneficiaries, V Shobana (32), shares, “A couple of years ago, my husband met with an accident and ever since then he couldn’t go for work. I had to take care of the entire family which includes our two kids. I had learned some tailoring before marriage but was not so skilled at it. Fortunately, I came in contact with Hakim’s NGO around four months ago and enrolled into their free tailoring course. Now I earn enough to look after my family.” Hakim has also promised Shobana a brand-new sewing machine.
Under the NGO’s blood donation initiative, more than 3,000 people have donated their blood to various hospitals in the city. “We dream of a nation where every individual is protected, educated, and employed. Our approach is a small step towards this goal – to break the cycle of poverty and social isolation and restore hope for a better future,” Hakim says.