9th August
The news from Pakistan that the flood damage with the plight of the people getting worse an ongoing tragedy.
A joint appeal with Modlands International Aid trust has raised £11,000 this week and after consutlation with the trustees Oak Tree has donated £2000. Some of this money has already reached the area of Northern Pakistan where we have direct connections from previous visits doing the cataracts.
This is supplying a small isolated village of around 300 people who are still completely flooded and need daily food which is being supplied by boat. This is following our aims of supporting more isolated areas where they have little chance of being supported by the major aid agencies and if we did not help them they would probably not get any help.
Photos of this particular direct support are in transit and will appear on this site as soon as they arrive.
Aslam hopes to go to the area in about 10 days time to administer the rest of the raised funds directly ( at his own expense) There is a direct appeal by the two charities Oak Tree and MIAT through the mosques and through the walsall churches and through the Council web site to all employees.
We will update the progress of this direct support as news arrives.
MIAT have achieved donations for sponsored child heart oeprations in South Africa using free donation of time by Dr Dhawali a specialist heart surgeon from Birmingham. We are also in dialoge with a GP here in Birmingham who comes from Nigeria and is fund raising for cataract operations in his home Country as we have done in Northern Pakistan. It si possible that Aslam will go to Nigeria and in the trip travel to neighbouring Niger to check progress of our water well project. ( again all totally at his own expense)
regards
Ian
p.s the Ramadan meal is now booked for 20th august St Pauls Church Walsall 9pm with 120 invited guests supported by homeless charities in Walsall
