By Hassan Cheruppa

Saudi Gazette

JEDDAH — Amid a spike in number of coronavirus cases and fatalities among expatriates in the western region of Saudi Arabia, several Indian community organizations and social workers are geared up to succor the distressed workers with provision of free food and medicine.

Thousands of community members are taking part in this altruist work remotely and that is strictly in compliance with Saudi COVID-19 protocol and in complete cooperation and coordination with the Saudi authorities and the officials of the Indian Consulate General. They have swung into action, inspired by the noble principle of serving the people in distress and alleviating their suffering is a great worship and unique humanitarian mission.

Speaking to Saudi Gazette, several leaders of community organizations said that their workers are fully engaged in reaching out to the most compelling cases among Asian and African workers and lending them helping hand in their hour of distress.

“We have so far distributed food kits among more than 15,000 distressed workers and medicine for more than 1,000 patients. Each food kit consists of 16 essential items that are sufficient for an individual for at least 15 days,” said Aboobacker Arimbra, general secretary of the Jeddah Central Committee of Kerala Muslim Cultural Centre (KMCC), the largest Indian expatriate organization in the Gulf.

“Our volunteers have distributed more than 300 PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) kits for the repatriated passengers as well as workers at King Abdulaziz International Airport and will provide PPEs to all passengers bound for India from the Jeddah airport over the coming weeks,” he said.

Arimbra said KMCC volunteers are rendering services to those staying in quarantine facilities and arranged furnished accommodation for the released prisoners. “As part of measures to enhance awareness on COVID-19 protocol and ease mental stress, we are holding Facebook live awareness classes with the participation of doctors from within the Kingdom as well as from India in addition to classes by religious scholars and economic experts on a daily basis,” he said.

Navodaya Cultural Forum has distributed free food kits and medicines mainly to distressed Indians, including thousands of jobless barbers, limousine drivers and workers in labor camps, according to Shibu Thiruvananthapuram, president of Navodaya.

“The organization has also set up online help desks, in coordination with the practicing health professionals to ease stress of many jobless workers who stay indoors in addition to provision of legal support to those workers who wish to leave the Kingdom on final exit,” Shibu said.

Overseas Indian Cultural Congress (OICC), an affiliate of Indian National Congress, has distributed food kits and medicine to more than 2,500 distressed workers and patients. “Our volunteers are serving the people under four wings — food & medicine, travel, Santwana (succor the needy) and distribution,” said K.T.A. Muneer, president of western region of OICC.

Several Organizations, based in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, are also rendering relief work to alleviate the suffering of the distressed workers. These include Khak-E-Taiba, Telangana Youth Welfare Association (TYWA), Telangana United Forum, Telangana Welfare Association, Urdu Academy Jeddah and Bazme Ittihad. General Secretary of Saudi-Indian Business Network (SIBN) Mir Gazanfar Ali Zaki, who is also general secretary of TYWA, told Saudi Gazette that the association continues distribution of food packets and medicine, mainly to people from Telangana and Andhra regions.

“We are also ensuring the consultancy service of doctors of major hospitals to those who are in demand of emergency medical assistance,” he said.

Khak-E-Taiba has distributed food ration kits to nearly 600 people and each kit consists of 24 essential goods that are sufficient for four members for a month, according to Shameem Kausar and Imran Kausar, senior officials of the organization. “We are closely monitoring the situation to seize the opportunity to reach out to those who are in distressing situation, including some stranded maid servants,” Imran said.

Ashraf Morayoor, president of Indian Social Forum, said that more than 600 workers have benefited from counseling service being provided by a team of 80 trained counseling professionals in the languages of Urdu, Malayalam, Kannada and Tamil. “We have also distributed more than 3,000 food kits to the needy,” he said.

Jeddah Tamil Sangam (JTS) is distributing food packets among the poor workers in Jeddah as well as among migrant workers in Tamil Nadu in India. “We have identified 10 hotspots in Tamil Nadu and continue distributing essential goods for the last two months,” said M. Siraj, president of JTS.

C.H. Basheer, president of Thanima Cultural Forum and patron of Indian Relief Work, said that the organization distributed 3400 food kits and 150 medical packets to the needy people. “Our 25-member professional team is engaged in giving counseling to those who are suffering from mental stress and symptoms of depression,” he said. Under its “Share and Care Project,”, Youth India has distributed around 3000 food kits to the distressed workers and families, in addition to providing medical and legal counseling.

The Saudi Chapter of Indian Cultural Forum (ICF) has taken the lead role in supplying food and other necessities to thousands of workers who are forced to remain indoors. “The ICF has provided medical consultation via online and free home delivery of medicine apart from successfully running 30 helplines across the Kingdom, according to Basheer Ernakulam, general secretary of ICF.