LONDON: Young Pakistani actor Momin Saqib has been declared as a Commonwealth Youth COVID-19 Hero.
Recently, The Commonwealth Secretariat, has appreciated ten exceptional young people for supporting the communities and being a positive light during the pandemic, through its annual ‘The Commonwealth Youth Awards 2021’.
Momin has been awarded as a Commonwealth Youth COVID-19 Hero for the charitable initiative he co-founded with a team of volunteers in March 2020 called “One Million Meals”. The initiative, backed by football legend David Beckham (in line with targets of the UN SDG #2: Zero Hunger) was an emergency response to the COVID-19 crisis in the UK, providing NHS staff and other key workers, including police, school staff, and firefighters, with free nutritious meals.
The core team included Bilal Bin Saqib, an LSE alumnus and Forbes 30-under-30 social entrepreneur, Suleman Raza, an award-winning chef and Chief Executive of the Spice Village Group, and Arif Anis, a renowned author, speaker and philanthropist. Led by volunteers, the initiative has to date provided over 100,000 meals and beverages in more than 200 locations through 47 hospitals, trusts and food banks.
Momin initially made history by getting elected as the first Non-EU President of the King’s College London Students’ Union in 144 years, being awarded the Honorary Life Membership with a permanent plaque at the famous Bush House. The Overseas Pakistani Foundation too gave Momin the title of the ‘Pride of Pakistan’ in 2017.
Momin is also the co-founder of Tayaba.org – an organisation working to address the plight of the impoverished and water-deprived communities in Pakistan, transforming lives through their innovative H2O wheels which ease the accessibility, storage and transportation of water, especially in rural areas of Pakistan like Tharparkar in Sindh.
More recently, Momin has become a welcomed member of the Pakistani showbiz industry, establishing an impressive presence among senior seasoned actors. Much before the release of his silver screen debut ‘Dam Mastam’, he can be seen acting in two dramas. Momin has received positive feedback for his extraordinary performance in the much talked about television drama ‘Raqs-e-Bismil’, showing another side of his multi-faceted personality.
Although widely recognised through his viral ‘Maro Mujhe Maro’ video on Dunya News during the 2019 cricket World Cup, Momin is a strong advocate of diversity which can be seen in his work as an aspiring educationalist, social worker, activist and social media sensation. He is currently working as a Student Engagement Officer at the Principal’s Office in King’s College London.
