Global athletes support the COVID relief charity fund of Pakistan’s tennis star- Aisam-ul-Haq. Haq started a campaign- Stars against Hunger last week. An initiative to feed 10,000 families affected during pandemic coronavirus in Pakistan.
Aisam-ul-Haq charity
Tennis superstars- Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, Maria Sharapova, and Indian Tennis player Sania Mirza donated to the charity. They are among the star-studded line up of athletes who rallied behind Aisam-Ul-Haq’s charity campaign. Other sports celebrities have donated their signed memorabilia to the Stars Against Hunger auction.
Aisam-ul-Haq initiated the campaign last week. Qureshi, like other well-off celebrities in Pakistan, raised funds and deliver door-to-door ration packs to poor families during partial coronavirus lockdown in the country.
Thanks #starsagainsthunger @rogerfederer @RafaelNadal @DjokerNole @MirzaSania @wasimakramlive @realshoaibmalik @shoaib100mph @StefTsitsipas @DaniilMedwed @GrigorDimitrov @jahangirkhan @amirkingkhan @SarfarazA_54 #shahbazahmed fr ur signed memorabilia pic.twitter.com/H9CSDFl26t
— Aisam ul Haq Qureshi (@aisamhqureshi) May 12, 2020
In a tweet, Haq said his organization #stopwarstarttennis and Rizq Share Food have partnered to fight against hunger in Pakistan. Since the score of Pakistani cricket stars including Shoaib Akhtar, Wasim Akram, Kamran Akmal, Mushtaq Ahmed donated their signed memorabilia that includes sports shirts, gloves, bats, and related sports stuff.
What sports celebrities donated to Aisam-ul-Haq charity
“These memorabilia will be auctioned to raise funds to provide rations to needy people who are largely affected due to the lockdown in the country and continue to struggle to earn bread and butter for family,” said Tennis star Aisam-ul-Haq.
Tennis star says he aims to raise Rs 35 million through the auction of donated items to distribute ration packs among 10,000 families.
Read more: Shahid Afridi bought Bangladesh’s Mushfiqur Rahim’s bat for $20,000
Aisam-ul-Haq informed that Switzerland’s Roger Federer has donated his shirt and shoes for the cause. Federer had worn the shirt in Wimbledon 2016 semifinals. He wore the shoes at the Cincinnati Masters 2011.
Thank You @shoaib100mph Bhai for donating the most prized memorabilia; a helmet signed by @iamsrk he won 15 years back in IPL while playing for Kolkata Knight Riders and was declared the man of the match. #StarsAgainstHunger
#HungerFreePakistan pic.twitter.com/wyEZZHILKZ— Aisam ul Haq Qureshi (@aisamhqureshi) May 15, 2020
Spain’s Rafael Nadal donated his shirt which features the official logo of Rafael Nadal’s Academy. Djokovic donated the shirt that he wore while playing the 2011 Australian Open final against Andy Murray. India’s Sania Mirza also donated a signed racket she used during her comeback tour in 2019.
Pakistanis squash legend Jahangir Khan has also donated his signed “Special Edition 555” squash racket to fund ‘Stars Against Hunger’. British-Pakistani Boxer Amir Khan has donated his signed gloves. Moreover, Pakistani cricketers Shoaib Malik and Sarfaraz Ahmed have donated their signed bats to the charity.
I extend my sincere gratitude to International Tennis Player, my friend @GrigorDimitrov for donating his Racquet and joining the movement of #StarsAgainstHunger which will help us feed 100,000 food insecure families.
Join our movement and help us create a #HungerFreePakistan. pic.twitter.com/ru15PcPlf4
— Aisam ul Haq Qureshi (@aisamhqureshi) May 16, 2020
Food and hunger problem in Pakistan
Aisam-ul-Haq thanked athletes for supporting his COVID relief fund- ‘Stars Against Hunger’.
In Pakistan, fear of food crisis and people starving to death goes alongside the pandemic coronavirus. In a country where 25 percent of the population lives below the poverty line, the protracted suspension of economic activities to halt the spread of contagion coronavirus imperils the food security of people. Since, a huge number of people are at risk of losing their livelihood. Most of them are daily wage laborer, self-employed shop owners, skilled labor, and pushcart vendors. They are feared to experience acute hunger if they continue to go days without work.
Read more: Amnesty International hails spirit of charity in Pakistan during lockdown
The Pakistani government has been hesitant in implementing a full lockdown or curfew-type situation in the country. Hence, the spirit of altruism took over coronavirus-hit Pakistan. The charity and donations in Pakistan soared during the coronavirus lockdown. Celebrities and affluent people made extensive donations to support the poor and needy.
Charity campaigns like Stars Against Hunger facilitated the impoverished class in Pakistan.