-globalbihari bureau
Srinagar: It has been a long lockdown for the people of Jammu and Kashmir, first after the abrogation of Articles 370 and 35A, and now because of the global outbreak of deadly Corona virus.
Nonetheless, this time Kashmiris do have a young Corona-warrior to fall back on, who is trying to make lives of the people comfortable during these tough times. Zaheer Jan, the 33-year-old Founder-Chairman of Save The Destitute Foundation (STDF), a Jammu & Kashmir-based organization, is the warrior who is continuously trying to help needy families in Srinagar through his organization.
“In Kashmir most of the daily wagers have got stranded and are not able to earn now a days because of the lockdown,” said Jan, who by profession is a paediatric rehabilitation therapist.
It has not been an easy task for Jan and his team. As he said: “We face lot of challanges as we are not able to receive funds from any organization or donor. So now we approach people for donation in kind.” However, as they say, when there is a will, there is a way. Under Jan, the STDF continuously keeps approaching different people in Delhi and other places for support “so that we are able to help needy people in our state in these hard conditions”. 
Their hard work this time did pay off and they could finally get support of New Delhi-based HAQ — the child rights center. Its founder Bharti Ali came forward to support STDF and provided COVID-19 relief kits for needy people. “Ali paid Kashmiri vendor and the vendor handed over the stuff to us,” Jan said.
The local administration too has now come in support of STDF. Jan informed that on Saturday, his organization could distribute one month’s complete grocery and Covid-19 relief kits to 60 vulnerable families through volunteers and officials from Deputy Commissioner office in Srinagar.
“STDF believes that during hard times we need to support the government as well as needy people,” Jan said, adding that during this crisis, hundreds of people were approaching him for help. “During this covid-19 we continuously supported the health department and needy people. We provided 250 hand sanitizers and 250 masks to government primary health centers. And we supported and provided food to 70 families of migrant workers from Bihar , UP , West Bengal, Delhi , Jammu and Kishtwar . These labourers were working in different places of Kashmir,” he said.
The STDF has now set a target of helping the specially abled people and widows so that everyone is able to perform in the Ramadan month. As Jan said, “The STDF vision is to create an ecosystem of inclusion where people love and support each other in a happy and joyous world.”
The young social worker has a passion to do social work for needy people. “After rehabilitation therapy, I did Bachelor of Social work and Master of Social work. Social work is my passion,” he said. There is no surprise therefore that he is in the front as a Corona warrior, helping the deprived class in the troubled territory of Kashmir.
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Commendable job by Mr.Zaheer Jan.
Hats off to him. He is the real hero.