Her Majesty the Queen honours two outstanding Pakistani volunteers with Commonwealth Point of Light Award

LONDON, Jun 06 (APP):Her Majesty The Queen has honoured and congratulated two outstanding volunteers Huzaifa Ahmed and Syed Hassan Irfan
with a Commonwealth Points of Light Award during a phone call hosted by British High Commissioner to Pakistan Dr Christian Turner CMG
on Saturday.
A United Kingdom (UK) Government statement issued here Saturday said the award to Huzaifa Ahmad (Co-Founder and CEO Rizq) and Syed Hassaan Irfan (Executive Director, Rizq), recognised their work providing food security to local communities, especially during the
coronavirus pandemic.
The call with Her Majesty The Queen also marked National Volunteering Week in the UK, an annual celebration
of the power and contribution of volunteering.
The statement said Huzaifa Ahmed and Syed Hassaan Ahmed, representing ‘Rizq’ from Pakistan, a social enterprise,
started as a university project in 2015 aimed at ensuring a hunger free Pakistan by distributing excess food to the
most vulnerable.
According to the UK Government statement, during the coronavirus pandemic and in the holy month of Ramazan,
Huzaifa and Hassaan mobilised a network of over 3,000 volunteers to distribute over 2.2 million meals to across 23 cities.
Huzaifa Ahmad on winning of the award said, “Food is a fundamental need. For every human to reach his or her true potential
it is important for this basic right to be accessible, affordable and available.
I want to thank the Commonwealth for recognising our efforts and honouring us with this award. I would like to
dedicate it to our amazing volunteers and Rizq heroes”, he remarked.
Syed Hassaan Irfan in his remarks said, “We have more food than ever before yet more people than ever go hungry every day.
We all have an individual responsibility to eliminate hunger – no one should go without a daily meal. This award is a tribute to the people of Pakistan, the work of volunteers in Pakistan, and our strong tradition of helping each other”.
The British High Commissioner, Dr Christian Turner CMG, said, “It was an honour to hear Her Majesty recognise Rizq’s
remarkable work to tackle food insecurity. Moments like this are examples of the profoundly positive relations between
the UK, Pakistan and Commonwealth”.
The statement further said the Commonwealth Points of Light awards were made by Her Majesty the Queen, as Head of the
Commonwealth, to thank inspirational volunteers across all the Commonwealth nations for the difference they are
making in their communities.
The Commonwealth Points of Light award were launched in April 2018 to coincide with the UK hosting the Commonwealth Heads of
Government Meeting, in London.
The British High Commission was asked to suggest volunteers from Pakistan for a Points of Light award, to coincide with
national volunteering week happening this week in the UK, June 1-7.
The following people in Pakistan have previously been awarded a Points of Light Award:Master Ayub – a fireman who runs an open-air
school for children who otherwise cannot have an education.
Mohammed Amjad Saqib – runs the largest microfinance organisation in Pakistan, ‘Akhuwat’ and Hamza Farrukh – addressing
the water crisis, with ‘Bondh-E-Shams’, serving 45,000 people across 13 remote Pakistani villages.