As the temperature drops in the City, the Ali Zafar Foundation has started distributing cash, dry rations, warm clothes and blankets among the families in jhuggy areas in Garden Town and Kamahan Village to ease the burden of wintertime on communities that are truly deserving of our care and support, from a part of society that remains largely overlooked.

AZF Executive Director Khadija Amjad said jhuggies serve as homes for generations of individuals who mainly work as snake charmers, straw basket weavers or dhol players and their families.

“These dwellings are completely exposed to the elements and make for the most unsanitary living conditions with no access to clean water or restrooms. Jhuggy dwellers have suffered disproportionately in recent times owing to COVID protocols and the resulting restrictions imposed on gatherings,” she said.

With support from its generous friends and donors, Khadija Amjad said, the Ali Zafar Foundation was able to distribute over a million rupees in cash and kind during its drive this month. “Children were given a special consideration, with gifts of colours, colouring books and toys to develop creative and motor skills,” she concluded.