“YOUSUF VOLUNTEERS GROUP” : An Initiative by IT Professionals to Help the Poor & Needy

“The purpose of life is not to be happy. It is to be useful, to be honorable, to be compassionate, to have it make some difference that you have lived and lived well.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

Convinced by this quote, a group of IT professionals came up with their venture , by the name, “Yousuf Volunteers Group”. The organisation consists of a vibrant bunch of Kashmiri youths who have come forward to help the local people.

When asked about their work, the group said, “Till date, we have distributed food kits, provided financial assistance to less fortunate families, helped distribute essentials to the specially abled people, provided assistance to marry poor girls, and even during pandemic we worked endlessly, and distributed oxygen cylinders, concentrators, PPE kits, flow meters, etc. This is our little way of giving back to society.”

Their workforce mainly consists of friends and colleagues. All of them collectively manage time to perform the various activities of the organisation.

The idea of Yousuf’s Volunteer Group was conceived in a small room with a group of friends discussing the appalling situation of the valley. “We primarily started with distributing food kits in the hospitals, during the month of Ramadan. However, with time we realised that there is a lot more to do , and then we started distributing Eid kits and provided financial assistance. When the pandemic hit, we quickly understood that people would need medical equipment, so we started focusing on this area as well.” Said one of the members.

Commenting on the challenges they face, the team said, “There are many challenges when you sway away from the normal. Some of the challenges we face include :-

1:Procurement of medical supplies during the pandemic,

2:Identifying the people who actually need help and filtering out the ones who don’t,

3:Making sure we deliver the food kits and assistance to the less fortunate on time, and

4: Arranging for donations after the month of Ramadan. It gets tough to arrange donations after Ramadan. ”

A smile on the face of the people, and the idea of easing the sufferings of mankind is what keeps them motivated. The enormous support from their families is also a plus point. Their motive is to help as much as they can with the core principle of empathy towards the human race.
“It has been a very rewarding experience. We have been doing this for the last 4 years and every time we look back, we thank God who gave us this opportunity to serve our people. We as Kashmiri’s are resilient in the face of any situation. However, it is also true that we face numerous challenges in our day to day lives. Some of us are fortunate enough to provide for our families while others are not. We would like to request all who have been blessed enough to contribute. The idea is not to donate a huge quantity but to donate consistently. Your donations in terms of time/money/ideas can positively impact someone’s life.” Added the members.

Associated Volunteers :-

Syed Monis
Mir Faizan
Junaid Gul
Adnan Bakshi
Daanyaal Khaamosh
Sajad Sofi
Mir Shafaat
Umar Hafiz
Nasir Keng
Hammad Muneer Mir
Zuhaib Mushtaq
Sadat Siraj