Emdad Rahman
In a sign of community unity, local people of different faiths, beliefs, gender and ethnicities have come together to deliver an innovative support campaign for impoverished Syrian citizens.
The Iftar1000 volunteer team has been working flat out with charities Aid Convoy, Isra UK and Crescent Relief to pack 10,000 food parcels for the needy as well as those fasting during the holy month of Ramadan. Jabed Hussain spoke about the success of the campaign: “It’s been mad but we’ve done it. On top of the 5,000 food packages, we have an additional five van loads of food being sent over for the most needy people on Syria. It’s been a magical experience.”
The aim of Iftar 1000 is to encourage people to sponsor Iftar food parcels for desperate and hungry people in Syria.
The campaign was dealt a further boost when Sister Christine Frost and members of St Matthias Old Church & Community Centre offered their backing and support to the cause. The Angel of Poplar is an ardent supporter of interfaith work which brings people together. “It’s a tremendous cause. This is the real community spirit that we love and recognise,” she said. “If anything, my decades of living within this community have taught me this – we may not be the most well off people financially but we do possess the biggest hearts. It has been a pleasure supporting this great cause. I’m issuing a rallying call to all our community to not forget the needy be they in Poplar, Calais or Syria.”
Although the campaign is titled Iftar1000, the aid will be handed out generally to needy people in Syria irrespective of their background or religion. Publicity Manager Shubo Hussain concluded: “We have been delivering similar projects for about a year now. The initial idea was to provide 1000 food packs but the response was so overwhelming we quickly raised our number to 10,000. Our target has been easily met.”
Families will be handed enough parcels to suit their requirements and needs. The aid will be distributed in the north and north western areas of Syria from Atmeh & Latakia by Aid Convoy, who are also responsible for the transportation and distribution of the aid. Crescent Relief London and Isra UK will be supporting the stages prior to shipment.
•Iftar 1000 is still raising funds to send more food over to Syria. To donate to the cause, go to: www.gofundme.com/iftar1000
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A parcel for two costs approximately £10 and contains: 1 tin of kidney beans 1 tin of chick peas 1 tin of chopped tomatoes 2 tins of tuna 1 tin of sardines 1 packet of rice 1 packet of sugar 1 tub of salt 1 bottle of vegetable oil 1 bar of soap 1 tube of toothpaste 2 toothbrushes
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The Iftar 1000 team consists of: Jamal Ahmed – Project Manager Rahena Begum Raj Ali – Logistics Jabed Hussain – Finance Shubo Hussain – Publicity Officer Syeed Hussain – Design and Artwork Imran Ali – Commercial Relations Jabir Ahmed – Legal Abedha Miah – Team Leader Hassan Abdul – Inventory Juber Ali Kahar – Photographer Razaul Ali, Aneeqa Rahman, Sim Bhamra, Fazarnoor Zaman, Kamran Jehangir, Nowshid Miah, Lorin Sulaiman, Maryam Osman, Foyaz Uddin, Mohammed Al Ghabra Mubasher Qazi – Crescent Relief Adam Deen (Usman) – Aid Convoy
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