Mid-day impact: Church, dargah vendors get help from NGO

On the day this paper highlighted struggles of those selling flowers and candles outside religious places, Bhamla Foundation says they are ready to supply more ration kits

Following a report in mid-day on the challenges being faced by flower and candle vendors outside various religious places across the city, Bhamla Foundation through its Covid-19 war room reached out to three families at the Mahim church and dargah and provided ration kits. The organisation has also promised to supply rations kits to them for the period the religious places are shut.  
 
According to Bhamla Foundation, after reading mid-day’s report on June 10, they sent a team of volunteers to the locations and distributed ration kits among three families.

Mohammed Ali and Abdul Rehman Shaikh sell candles and flowers outside Mahim Church. Pics/Atul Kamble

“We have been distributing ration kits in Dharavi and Bandra slums and have also given the same to those who have reached out to our community war room. After we read the report, two volunteers were deployed and ration kits were made available to them. We have also shared our community war room number, in case others need ration kits, they can reach out to us,” said Asif Bhamla, president, Bhamla Foundation.

mid-day on June 10 highlighted through a report the troubles faced by some vendors outside Siddhivinayak Temple, Mahim church and Mahim dargah and how they were forced to beg for survival.

Anita John Fernandez, who lives in the Mahim slums and has a candle shop on the footpath in front of Mahim church, said she had never faced such a situation and had been seeking help from her customers since the lockdown was imposed. “People have come to us with ration kits and we are thankful to them and mid-day for highlighting our problems,” Fernandez said. 

Another vendor, Abdul Rehman Shaikh, who also sells candles and flowers at the entrance of the church, received ration kits for his family and a worker at his shop. “I have never shared my problems with anyone but I am thankful for the help we received from Bhamla Foundation,” Shaikh said.

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