MUSCAT: A massive community effort is building up to support the needy through the coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis.
What’s Happening Oman? (WHO) — A popular Facebook community group that has 30,000 members, have so far raised over OMR 7,000 in less than two weeks to help the needy.
It was a humble message from the group’s administrator Jo Al Esri on the page that changed things. “It all started two weeks ago when we asked group members from WHO to send donations and so far, the money has been used to buy food items for the workers and families in Oman with no income to buy these for themselves,” she said in an interview with The Arabian Stories.
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According to Jo, the response from the members has been overwhelming. “So far, WHO has helped 1,350 people in two weeks across the wilayats. We had two donations of 4,800 each of water from National Mineral Water Company. 4,800 for Muscat and the same for Salalah. We gave food supplies to people including families and children. One member (from WHO) donated 50 food boxes, a restaurant donated 50 lunches and we are still helping,” she explained.
The initiative, according to Jo not only connects people to people but also lift community spirits during these uncertain times.
It’s all on the WALL
But how does Jo coordinates with team? “Collections are sent to me and I send the money to one team player in Muscat each evening. Just few days ago we sent OMR 1,000 as well as 4,800 of water to Mr. Ahmed Boomar in Salalah to help the needy.
“We also buy food from supermarkets and then we work the roadblocks as best we can with calling contacts on the other side to collect and distribute,” she said.
And what makes WHO different from other groups? “We are manning our own accounts and showing each donation mentioned publicly on the wall with daily totals and updates,” she said.
WHO led by Jo, has been on the forefront in helping the needy, over the years. “The whole idea is to help people who are in need in times of crisis such as this. We all are staying at home safely but there are many others who are struggling as well. We need to ensure they are stay safe too,” Jo added.
Those interested in being part of the initiative can visit https://www.facebook.com/groups/whatshappeningmuscatoman and request to join the group.
