Dr Mohammad Salim Khan and a group of medical students collect warm clothing at their department to assist underprivileged families.
Afnan Habib | TwoCircles.net
SRINAGAR (JAMMU & KASHMIR) — To help the poor and needy endure the harsh winter season in Kashmir, a group of medical experts from Srinagar have launched an initiative called “Apparel for Poor.”
The project was initiated four years ago by Dr Mohammad Salim Khan, who heads the Department of Community Medicine at the Government Medical College of Srinagar.
Visiting people for ‘family studies’ is a requirement of the MBBS curriculum for medical students working in the community medicine department. “During their visits, the students encountered impoverished and needy families who could not afford warm clothes for winter,” Dr Salim told TwoCircles.net.
Dr Salim and a group of medical students decided to collect warm clothing at their department to assist these underprivileged families. They collect and distribute warm clothing to hundreds of needy families every year. “We took to social media and asked for support and donations from people, and it was a success. People started donating old as well as new clothes, and we began distributing,” he said.
Kashmir experiences a harsh winter season, with temperatures dropping below the freezing point.
Dr Salim said that he felt a responsibility toward his community. “Our team, with the help of ASHA workers, identifies deserving families across the city. We visit the places, verify the cases and then start distributing clothes to them,” Dr Salim said.
Dr Salim has asked the public for support and donations for the upcoming winter season, saying, “It has been our endeavor to facilitate warm apparel for poor families over the last four winters. Kindly continue with your support by donating warm clothes (new/usable old) for deserving families in this harsh winter.”
Afnan Habib is a freelance journalist based in Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir. He tweets @afnanhabib_