During the past two weeks father and daughter Navin Kumar and Shivani Lal have been giving out free Diwali packages to deserving Labasa families.

Mr Kumar said while many families have been affected with the COVID pandemic, he came up with an idea to do humanitarian work so that the less fortunate will not miss out on celebrating Diwali this year.

His daughter has been very supportive as she has been the one who visits individual families to give them their free Diwali package.

“She is the one who is on the frontline to bring smiles to the recipients. This is how we lend a hand so that no one is left out during this year’s Diwali celebration,” Mr Kumar said.

Mr Kumar and Ms Lal have assisted 17 families so far and they will continue giving out free packages the next two days.

The Diwali packages contain essential Diwali items.

Mr Kumar is thankful to the two overseas donors who have been assisting him and his daughter on this cause.

The overseas based-donors are Callan Gounder of New Zealand and Ishaad Khan of Brisbane, Australia.

“While there are individuals who have everything, some cannot afford things they need to celebrate Diwali,” he said.

“Helping others celebrate Diwali is assisting them overcome darkness with the light in their lives.

“It gives underprivileged people some hope to look forward to a better new year.

Mr Kumar said supporting others was a great way to celebrate Diwali.

He said this festival also marked with reaching out to the less fortunate to ensure that everyone can afford to have some joy during the festive season.

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