Emdad Rahman
A team of 14 Londoners will climb Mount Snowdon next week as part of a mountain challenge to raise awareness of the plight of the Rohingya people of Myanmar.
The team are fundraising for the Bangladesh Regeneration Trust UK (BRTUK) and are providing dignity packs for Rohingya women, each containing essentials like sanitary pads, towels, combs, oil, toothbrushes, underwear and soap powder.
During the launch, after Friday Jumuah prayers at the Hedgecock Community Centre, the team were given encouragement and a message of goodwill by local Barking & Dagenham Councillor Faruk Choudhury.
More than half a million people – mostly Rohingya women and children – have fled violence in Myanmar’s Rakhine state. They are seeking refuge in Bangladesh and are in urgent need of food, clean water, shelter and medical care after arriving exhausted and traumatised. Currently those fleeing intense persecution have been accommodated in overflowing camps and settlements in Bangladesh.
On 7th April 2018 the team will attempt to walk to the summit of Mount Snowdon in Wales. At an elevation of 1,085 metres above sea level, this is the highest point in England and Wales.
Bangladesh Regeneration Trust UK Chair Naz Ali commented, “The trek up and down the mountain will take several hours, however it won’t be as perilous as the torrid journey many of the Rohingya refugees, endured for several days when they left their homes in Rakhine, Myanmar, and crossed over the border to Bangladesh.”
Also at the launch was Moklisur Rahman, who added, “We hope our meagre efforts will shine a spotlight on the inhumane treatment the Rohingya have faced for years. We want them to know that they are very much in our thoughts.”
As the monsoon season begins, heavy rain and cyclones could bring illnesses, flooding, landslides and further displacement to those in camps along the Bangladesh-Myanmar border. This is an opportunity to raise much needed funds to prevent the spread of disease in the camps and provide assistance to the Rohingya.
•Each dignity pack costs £20 and you can donate one here: https://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/Team/Teamlegend
•Read more about it: Footballers play 4 Rohingya Rohingya face further crisis as monsoon looms
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