Oldham support touches refugees

ALL yours . . . Basit Shah (right) hands a villager a donation from Oldham

Money donated in Oldham has gone directly to help refugees in a war-torn area of Pakistan return to their homes.

Villages in the Swat valley, in the remote north-west of the country, were cleared when Taliban rebels were chased out by the Pakistani Army.

Villagers began returning last month, but many homes have been damaged and some people have no means of getting back.

A fund-raising dinner at the Pakistani Community Centre in June, organised by Vision Associates Resource, of Tamworth Street, Werneth, and Accrington Surgical Ltd, raised £5,000 towards a total of £20,000. It was helped by donations from communities in Blackburn and Accrington. Basit Shah, from Vision Associates, travelled to Pakistan two weeks ago to help distribute the funds.

He said: “Non-governmental organisations and the UN representative in Pakistan directed us to the best organisations to work with.

“They included Save the Children, Al Khadimat, which does voluntary work, and Al Khubeb, which is a foundation for health and education in small villages.

“They said that some of the people don’t have any money to go back, or transport to do so.

Tears

“More than 500 families were helped with money and it would have taken them a long time to get back without it. Many will have to rebuild their homes.

“They are from the district of Haripur which is where my relatives are from. The money will help with shelter, schools and homes.

“Many of these families were living in a school classroom, or a one-bedroom flat for 10 people.

“The donations were featured on TV — we saw tears in people’s eyes. They appreciated where it had come from and were very, very touched.”

The Swat Valley was once known as a mini-Switzerland, a beautiful mountainous region with ski lifts and winter snows.

Many hours of filming were taken during the visit, which will be reduced to a 15-minute DVD to be presented to Oldham communities after Ramadan, which begins tomorrow.