Pakistani social media influencers have raised almost Rs. 4 million in funds to help communities in the country who are struggling under the Coronavirus lockdown. According to Images, Young Parliamentary Officer Azeema Ilyas and Design Researcher Syed Faizan Raza Rizvi took the lead in leveraging their social media presence to the benefit of struggling Pakistanis.
They started out with their immediate circle of friends and family, achieving fund-raising figures of Rs. 50,000 to 75,000 in a day. As their social media presence and the support of others began to kick in, donations began to pour in. Soon they found themselves leading an effort called EhsasKaroNa – a play on the name of the Coronavirus. In five days of their campaign, they raised Rs1,885,179. Their efforts attracted the attention of all kinds of well-known social media figures: including actors and models Sajal Aly, Ayeza Khan, Minaal Khan, Sadaf Kanwal, Ainy Jaffery, Eman Suleman, Sohai Ali Abro and Mansha Pasha. National Geographic photographer Matthieu Paley and Krewella's Jahan Yousuf soon came aboard to help.
With their fund-raising campaign translated into hashtags like #TheRationChallenge and #EhsaasKaroNa, their drive has focused on supporting existing ration distribution efforts rather than initiating their own.
To quote Rizvi,
“We have so far focused more on individual efforts who do not have enough reach and audience to raise funds on their own. So we're supporting them through the connections we have.”