It is without a doubt the covid19 pandemic has left irreparable scars on many. The sudden loss of a loved one and the void that would never be filled is often too much for some to bear.

The loss of an income can also bring unimaginable stress and of course, children have their stresses and anxiety with school, examinations, and witness all that unfolds around them.

Sunday Newsday reached out to several religious institutions to get an idea of how their congregations have been coping and what assistance have been afforded to them.

Anjuman Sunnat ul Jammat Association (ASJA) general secretary Rahimool Hosein said the pandemic has taken a toll on its congregation and it was unlike anything he had experienced before.

He said ASJA has set up two funds to assist people in financial need. The first was designed to assist members of ASJA and the second fund was a public fund that is available for anyone in TT, once qualified.

“We have a social services committee that provides financial assistance through an application process. We have dispersed thousands of dollars this year to needy people in our communities.

“People who need assistance must fill out an application form which is available at our Chaguanas and San Fernando offices. Every two weeks the committee sits, deliberate, and dispense funds. The distribution of funds is not something we make public because it is something that should remain private, especially for the recipients,” Hosein said.

He said the imams have organised programmes in their masjids to support the communities, which included a campaign to encourage vaccinations and to observe the health safety protocols.

Hosein said while there have been calls to make the masjids “safe zones” it was not something ASJA was considering at this time.

“We cannot pronounce on that as yet. But we have told the individual masjids that that was their call based on the prevailing circumstances in their localities.

Imam Nazim Hosein at the Preysal ASJA Jamaat said the most alarming issue they faced over the last two years has been assisting people to deal with the loss of loved ones. With less than a week for it ends, this month has the highest covid deaths with 560 as of December 24.

[caption id="attachment_931501" align="alignnone" width="1024"] A Hindu cremation at the Waterloo cremation site on May 5, 2020. The Maha Sabha says Hindus feel deeper loss that they cannot perform open-air cremations under a public health order. A challenge to this measure is before the courts. - File photo/Lincoln Holder[/caption]

Also as of that date, 2,718 people have lost their lives to the virus since March 2020.

The emotional and mental impacts, he said, have been unlike anything seen before because the covid19 virus bars people from being with each other in desperate times of need.

Hosein said, “The most important thing we can do now is to provide emotional assistance because death from covid19 is a traumatic experience for anyone or any family.

“Every evening, we come on via Zoom to pray and we would