The Ration Bag project was one of the first projects we worked on and still continue to work on as part of the Helpful Foundation but not everyone knows the story behind the ration bag project so we feel now is the right time to tell that story. 

Where did the idea come from?

Our founder and owner of Apply4U had a yearly budget that he wanted to spend on giving to charity. For years he was giving to charities but couldn’t see the situation of the needy improving. It made him wonder what could be done to make a visible difference? It was apparent that most poor people were never taught how to handle their finances properly. That is when the idea for the ration bag project and the helpful foundation was born.

What is it?

Instead of giving money to those in need each month, we provide them with monthly food rations to ensure that families don't face malnutrition and can instead then focus on improving their situation. It also means that children don’t have to skip school to work which only continues the cycle. 

This then enables the families’ money-earner to focus on increasing wealth and not working hand to mouth. 

Overview of the ration bag

As mentioned in our helpful foundation introduction, we select basic necessities to put into each ration bag like:

• Sugar

• Rice 

• Oil

• Flour 

• Soap

• Wheat

• Washing powder

• Vermicelli

• Dates

• Tea

•Pulses

Why is it important?

• A further 20 million people have been pushed to "extreme levels of food insecurity" this year. 
• Research shows that 11 lives a minute are likely to be lost to hunger. 
• It enables stress-free living even in underprivileged communities. 

These people deserve to wake up and not think or stress about where their next meal will come from. Especially over Covid 19 when daily earners could not earn any money during lockdowns.

Where is it happening and why did we choose this area?

We have a field team in Pakistan where we started this venture and have already given out 100s of ration bags to families every month. Pakistan has a huge poor population. As of October 2021, Pakistan’s population now sits at 226,249,412 people which is a huge figure and out of this number 24.3% of the population is living in poverty. 

Our next goals:

1.    Expand our reach 

2.    Help more people 

3.    Get more donors 

How can you help?

Sponsoring a needy family for ration bags every month for 1 year is just £97 or sponsoring 1 ration bag for just £9  (*all families are pre-vetted, our team on the ground meet with each family, check their IDs and do some research on the family to ensure they are deserving).

Every month when rations are delivered a video is sent showing the sponsor the rations have been received. We believe in transparency and have a 100% donation policy. 

Any donation would be very much appreciated, big or small but if you don’t have the means to donate money then spreading the word through social media would help to make this challenge for social change more attainable. 

Find out more about the helpful foundation here.

Written by Amber Scott from the Apply4U team.

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