A charity has raised more than £37,000 to help with relief efforts following the floods in Pakistan.
The Abaseen Foundation has been fundraising across the North of England and hit their target of £20,000 within days of launching their appeal. This included donations from mosques in Blackburn and Nelson.
Early and heavy monsoon rains, since June have caused flash floods that have killed 1,191 people and affected 33 million people. About a million homes have also been damaged or destroyed.
The Abaseen Foundation team work in remote areas of the country which are inaccessible and are due to begin working in a further location in the coming days after linking up with the Army.
The charity said their teams were on the ground last Saturday (August 27) in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa area and their initial response was to provide at least £20,000 worth of emergency shelter, cooked food, quilts and other necessary basic rations.
Lancaster based Helen Bingley OBE who established the charity to support educational and health organisations said she had been taken aback by the amount of support they had received in such a short time.
She said: “We had a set target of £20,000 but overshot that and the extra money will now be used in accessing those in dire need of support in remote areas. These families truly are cut off and have lost everything.
“We are thankful to all the donors who come from all sorts of backgrounds and communities across the UK and locally.
“In the coming days we are looking to team up with the army and head to another remote community in ‘Kallam’.
“Our team of volunteers and guides can bring support where it is needed most. We know there are charities working across the country but we have looked to serve specific areas which are quite cut off."
Helen added: “Once on the ground the team quickly undertake a formal survey which we will use to design a longer term response to help these people to restore their lives.”
As of Saturday September 3 the charity had raised £37,788. Including gift aid this figure was now over £40,000.
Money has also been donated from three Lancashire mosques who held appeals during Friday prayers. These took place at the Madni Mosque, Nelson, the Lancaster Islamic Society and the Madni Masjid on Lancaster Place, Blackburn.
To donate towards to the Abaseen Foundation appeal here
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