Haifa Welfare Foundation

Haifa Welfare Foundation is based in Chirkoot, which is in the Lolab valley area of Sogam, Kupwara. It is a very beautiful part of the world, but life here can be quite difficult sometimes for the families. We are right in the middle of the community. We started this foundation because we saw that a lot of people were struggling with very basic things. We don’t have a massive office or a fleet of cars. It’s just us working out of a small space in Chirkoot. Most days, we are out in the village talking to people. We try to help out with whatever comes up, whether it’s health issues or just helping someone get their paperwork sorted out. It’s not glamorous work. There is a lot of walking involved since the houses are spread out across the valley. We aren't some big NGO with lots of outside funding. We just use what we have and try to make it stretch as far as it can go. The people in Kupwara are hardworking, and we just want to be there to lend a hand when things get tough. It feels like the right thing to do since we live here too. Sometimes the weather makes it hard to get around, but we do our best to keep things moving. We’re just local folks looking out for our own.