A simple initiative has been transformed by a Muslim girl in Canada called Hana Fatima (9 years old) to help the elderly buy their needs in light of the Corona pandemic;

To a charity project joined by thousands of volunteers.

Fatima - the initiator of the initiative - tells the story of her initiative and where the idea came from, and confirms that she does not know what she wants to be when she grows up, but she knows that she wants to help people realize the power they have to make a difference in their lives.

The story of the initiative

The child told the Canadian CBC News the story of her initiative, saying that she and her parents went shopping from a grocery store in Mississauga, Ontario in the early days of the Corona epidemic, and it turned out that she and her father, Tariq Sayed, waited an hour in a long line to buy their needs, and as soon as Entering them, their goal was to quickly buy what they needed and return home safely.

The father of the child, Tariq Sayed, 38, continues, “I was shopping in panic, to be frank of course, I was only interested in myself, and trying to get my needs as soon as possible,” indicating that he remembers people who faced some difficulties, but the matter did not arouse his attention. His daughter, Fatima, noticed an elderly woman in line as she struggled to buy what she needed.

Fatima captures the conversation from her father, "It made me think of my grandparents, so I suggested to my father to help her (the elderly woman) transfer her purchases to her car."

It was a simple gesture, but the woman's reaction remained with Fatima. "She was really happy."

Helping the elderly

On returning home, Fatima and her father shared their number with a number of elderly neighbors, and the idea was that those who needed help could provide them with a list of items that Fatima and her father would buy so that the most vulnerable people would not have to be exposed to the virus in crowded places.

Syed shared the idea with a few friends and set up a Facebook group to coordinate, and within hours hundreds of people volunteered to do the same in their communities.

Fatima's initiative in the store doubled into an army of volunteers, then her father and other key members decided to call the project "good neighborliness."

A year after the pandemic

After more than a year since the outbreak of the epidemic, the group now includes about 6 thousand volunteers from different cultures, who speak more than 30 languages, and are distributed in Toronto, London and Ottawa, and those who need help to reach groceries, basic supplies and medicines can be connected through the hotline of the project with Someone who is able to purchase the items and have them delivered to them for free, after only paying the grocery cost.

According to Syed, the group is not a charitable or non-profit association, indicating "it is just a network of good Canadians who have gathered to help the community during unprecedented times."

"It shows that people have a desire in their hearts to go and do something," Fatima said of the influx of volunteers.

Bright spot

Ahmed Al-Rifai, 73, is just one of the elderly Fatima helped, and with two pillars in his heart, he knew that going to the store was not a good idea.

He said of Fatima and her father, "They are amazing. This girl is a blessing in our" neighborhood. "We always appreciate what she does.

Sayed says the project was a bright spot at a time when the number of coronavirus cases is increasing and the threat of the pandemic is forcing people to return to lockdown and isolation.

Fatima also wants to share this initiative with as many people as possible.