Reaching out the MOST DESERVING

In the past, the distribution used to take place at the urban level, where the contributor is unaware of the actual status of the receiver. In 2007, Hidayah Foundation's primary drive was to reach out to the most deserving at their doorstep and understand the ground realities before drawing on long-term solutions. In 2009, after identifying slum pockets that required attention, Hidayah Foundation has dedicated its time, resources and energy to systematically engage with scores of families living in the larger Dakshina Kannada district and its outskirts to develop constant and consistent networking.

Among the underprivileged, we have seen thousands of families with orphans/ women who have been abandoned by parents/ spouses. A large number of children are raised in an unhealthy atmosphere without proper food, medicine, clothing, shelter or toilets. They are subjected to many challenges in their lifetime. They struggle to adjust to many disabilities. It is impossible to educate them properly without providing them with the basic minimum facilities.

Initially, almost 1500 most deserving families were reached out to, through the Ramadhan kit campaign and data was collected. Information related to basic needs, health, education and their status of income was systematically recorded to identify their area of requirement, which differs from family to family.

It was a massive campaign to identify and supply immediate basic needs to the most deserving families who had been suffering for decades and out of reach areas. Initially, Hidayah Foundation rendered all kinds of help as and when they came across (food distribution, clothing, housing, toilets, electrification, education aid, assistance for marriage, and medical aid). The upliftment of the downtrodden starts from identifying them, supplying the identified needs and more importantly supervising their utilization and growth. Consistent follow-up is necessary to watch their progress.

The information and findings thus collected were documented and presented to the community through events, using video documentaries. The community was not aware of the sufferings of thousands of families in their surroundings. The documentary was an eye-opener in terms of depiction of the nightmares and continuous sufferings of many families, which motivated many into the actions of Huquq ul Ibaad. Short term support started pouring in from different angles and the gap between the receivers and the contributors got reduced to an extent.

These downtrodden families were unaware of any planning and strategies to utilize the support given to them. It was necessary to channelize the support in a systematic prioritized way. Hidayah Foundation had a vision of a comprehensive approach towards the overall development of the community. A five-pillar approach was considered for the overall development of the destitute families with three key areas of operations such as project planning, financial planning, and human resources planning.