The Lady Fatemah (a.s) Charitable trustest. 1997

10th Lady Fatemah Trust Gala Dinner

Thistle Hotel London Heathrow

Saturday 6th July 2015

for Salima

1972 - 2011

Welcome

A very warm welcome to the 10th Lady Fatemah (a.s) Charitable Trust Gala Dinner. On behalf of the Board of Trustees and the volunteers who have organised this event, I would like to extend my warm gratitude for those in attendance this evening. For those who have attended the Gala Dinner before and those who have worked with us in the past, we profoundly thank you for your continued support of the Trust. For those who are new to the trust, we hope this evening will inspire you and provide you with an insight into our values and vision and how you can join us along our journey.

The Lady Fatemah (a.s.) Charitable Trust takes its inspiration from Lady Fatemah (a.s.), the beloved daughter of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (p.b.u.h.). Lady Fatemah teaches us how to stand up against injustice, how to live by the Quranic principle of giving away what you love most and how to give in charity without looking for praise or reward except from Almighty Allah (s.w.t).

Our mission is to eradicate poverty and suffering; this we believe, is not a distant dream, but a goal that we can achieve by working together. We value every human being as equal; each individual has the right to be safe and healthy, and to live a dignified life, regardless of his or her race or religion. In addition, we are guided by the philosophy of empowerment which underpins the Trusts work, for it is only through this, that a lasting solution to poverty can be found.

In 1997 the Lady Fatemah (a.s.) Charitable Trust was set up with a vision of working with a global network of like-minded partners to assist in responding effectively and urgently to natural disasters as well as working with communities and organisations catering to meet long-term humanitarian needs, such as the provision of clean water, education, healthcare and most importantly, income generation. It is the Trusts vision that anyone who is helped via trust funds will become selfsufficient, and in the future may echo the charitable giving they once received.

How quickly the Trust has grown and evolved over the past seventeen years is a great source of inspiration and humility for the Trustees. It is only through the generosity of yourselves, our donors, that together we have been able to assist thousands of disadvantaged people worldwide. When people work together in cooperation, their power is unprecedented. By continuing to work in partnership with our donors and beneficiaries, and volunteers and supporters of the Trust, we can continue to spread our message far and wide and make an even bigger impact in the years to come.

We hope this evening and the following pages will inspire you and provide details of the scope and nature of our myriad activities. Should you wish to work with us in any capacity please do not hesitate to let one of our team know. We hope that you will continue to support us in our endeavours, and join us along our journey towards helping to eradicate poverty wherever we may find it.

With warm appreciation and prayers,

Amirali G. Karim

Chairman of the Board of Trustees

The Gala Dinner

Today marks the 10th Lady Fatemah (a.s.) Charitable Trust Gala Dinner. The Gala Dinner serves as a celebration of what your assistance has allowed us to achieve through the year and allows us to showcase our ambitions for the coming year.

We hope that this year the dinner will emphasise the trusts core ethos of sustainable giving, we aim for a situation where those we assist do not continue to remain dependent. The Lady Fatemah (a.s) Charitable Trust doesnt give hand-outs; instead, we believe in giving people an opportunity to empower themselves and live a life with full dignity. Here at The Lady Fatemah (a.s.) Charitable Trust, sustainable giving has been, and continues to be, the backbone of the various projects and appeals we implement throughout the year. The generosity of our donors has enabled us to assist thousands of impoverished people worldwide.

The mission of The Lady Fatemah (a.s.) Charitable Trust is to try and assist anyone who comes to us with a worthy cause or need which we can verify and fund in accordance with our ethos. This has over the years resulted in ambitious projects ranging from sustainable development programmes to the simplest of charity, putting a smile on an individuals face.

As you will see from the following pages, we operate globally and support projects in the Indian subcontinent, Burma, Syria, Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran, Lebanon, Occupied Palestine, East Africa and Indonesia.

Our key philosophy and USP is to operate on the basis of zero administration fees, thereby ensuring every penny donated goes directly to those in need. We ensure that the trust carries out all activities with complete transparency, from verifying appeals, providing full receipts to benefactors for every donation and providing comprehensive spending breakdowns even down to the last pencil.

The Lady Fatemah (a.s.) Charitable Trust works with charitable partner organisations who are on the ground. This allows us to closely inspect each of the appeals that arise and provide on-going support and advice. As they have local expertise and connections and are in direct contact with the communities in need, we can try and ensure that the assistance reaches exactly where needed, as efficiently and quickly as possible.

Wherever possible and particularly for large projects, The Lady Fatemah (a.s.) Charitable Trust works closely with other international charities so as to leverage the full benefit of collective goodwill and local expertise. We have found that joining hands with other organisations often results in achievements beyond the scope of any one charitable institution.

All the above can only be done with the support of our donors who give up their time, assist with finances and most of all provide us with their expertise to assess and analyse the projects that come before us. If you believe you have expertise and/or time to assist behind the scenes please let us know.

What We Do

As those who receive our newsletter and email updates are aware, the variety and number of projects the Lady Fatemah (a.s.) Charitable Trust supports and carries out each year is great. The following pages provide a snapshot of the nature of projects we have carried out this year and hopefully will inspire and move you. The number of projects that we have to turn away is also great but with your continuing support we can continue to put smiles on the faces of those in need around the world.

Although we provide support in emergency and disaster relief situations we aim primarily to reduce dependence on humanitarian aid and facilitate the transition on a path to self-reliant, long-term development. We hope to empower communities and provide them with the skills both to pull themselves out of poverty and to ensure their future generations are empowered to produce long lasting change in their own communities.

For detailed information on our appeals and projects, or to contribute and make a difference, please visit www.ladyfatemahtrust.org, sign up to our e-mail newsletter or download our mobile app.

Projects and Case Studies

Orphan Care

Unfortunately one of the results of war, natural disaster, poverty and malnutrition is that millions of children are left alone and without support. It is our aim to assist orphans wherever we work to provide them with the love and support they deserve.

In countries where war, famine or poverty is part of everyday life, millions of children are orphaned and left to struggle for survival. Over the last decade alone, armed conflict has resulted in six million children being wounded or disabled for life, and one million orphaned.

The Lady Fatemah (a.s.) Charitable Trust along with our partner organisations has established orphan sponsorship programmes to care for orphans in Iraq, Iran, India, Pakistan, Lebanon and occupied Palestine.

The best of houses is the house where an orphan gets love and kindness. The Holy Prophet (pbuh)

The Orphan Sponsorship Program

The program intends to reach the most destitute families, who frequently do not have access to any other charitable organisations or public welfare departments. Sponsorships are also granted to assist orphaned students in attending school, training programmes, apprenticeships and university aiming to provide young orphans with the means to earn a living.

Last years focus on the life of an orphaned child helped us identify areas for greater support and empowerment to help these young lives achieve their optimal potential in life.

Your generous support ensures that the work of the tireless workers on the ground is made possible. With your help we have been able to:

Feed and clothe refugees in Iraq, Syria and Lebanon, many of whom are orphans

Sponsor 1,000 orphans through school in Iraq in 2014

Empower the orphaned child and his or her mother by providing skills and materials to widows to earn their own income and become self-sufficient.

Collaborate with the Development and Relief Foundation (DRF) Karbala who undertake the schooling of orphans

Educate orphaned girls in Lebanon through to the University (through the Imam Sadr Foundation)

Provide a range of general healthcare projects and other much needed orphan support

For just 30 a month you can sponsor an orphan and change thier life

Solar Projects

Did you know that in 15 seconds, the sun provides as much energy to Earth as humanity uses in a whole day. If this energy source could be harnessed even to a limited extent, we would be able to empower millions and reduce the reliance on traditional energy sources

Over the last few years, the LFT, has been investing in the development of solar cookers and lamps. These have started to be distributed globally and we are struggling to meet demand for these cheap but life changing technologies.

Solar technology is particularly useful for communities where grid electricity is limited or non-existent and particularly in communities with low income who struggle to pay for kerosene/wood to light their houses and cook their food. As a result of these factors, many communities are plunged into darkness as soon as sunset falls and many are lucky to eat more than one hot meal given the expense of fuel.

Case studies - Pakistan & Iraq

3,000 Solar Cookers Distributed in Thar Pakistan including Training

This year the trust has continued to provide solar cookers in the Thar Desert in Pakistan. The villages in the Thar desert are amongst the poorest in Pakistan and the cookers will assist in lowering household costs allowing families to have more disposable income. Community leaders have been taught how to use the cookers and these skills are being passed onto the villagers.

233 homes provided with solar lights in Marshlands of Iraq

Villagers living in the Iraqi marshlands have little to no access to electricity. Consequently when nightfall used to descend, these villagers became broadly unproductive. The distribution of solar lights to 233 homes has had a direct impact on over 1,900 individuals. These villagers live in the most basic accommodation and struggle with the basic necessities of life. Since visiting these individuals, the LFT has assisted with both solar lighting and the provision of clean water.

884 million people have no access to clean water~ equivalent to the entire population of the United States, Canada, Australia, Italy, France, and Mexico combined. Thats nearly 1 in every 8 people. 3.4 million people year die due to lack of clean water. The statistics are shocking

In Africa woman can walk an average of 6km a day to fetch clean water. 200 million work hours are spent every day by women and children collecting water. This is time not spent working at an income-generating job, caring for family members, or attending school.

This is a completely solvable problem. LFT is committed to being part of the solution. We take a carefully tailored approach in each area and plan sustainable water supply schemes.

Provision of Clean Water

Access to water is a fundamental human right and essential to life and health, yet approximately 780 million people worldwide lack access to clean water. As a result, more than 3.4 million people die each year from water related diseases.

We made from water every living thingQuran 21:30

Case Studies

Pakistan

The Bibi Sakina (as) project in Islamabad, Pakistan has been completed with over 75 wells over the IndoPak region and has lessened disease. The LFT in March 2015 has committed to funding 10 new water schemes with their partner in Pakistan. Water services in Pakistan are at best intermittent, with poor drinking water quality and sanitation leading to major outbreaks of waterborne diseases across the country. Estimates suggest that each year more than 3 million Pakistanis become infected with waterborne diseases. The governmental expenditure on water is below the needs of its residents and even where supplies are granted, maintenance and repair often falls to the residents of localities themselves. Alike other countries, inhabitants of villages in remote and rural Pakistan often have to travel great distances over steep and rocky terrain to fetch even a basic necessity for everyday living. The LFTs commitment to helping towards providing safe water in Pakistan will alleviate suffering and restore health and dignity to numerous villages across Pakistan.

West Bank

In the West Bank, the LFT provided a water purification and cooling system to the Palestine Arroub Camp Secondary Girls School to help 1,000 school children.

Kenya

LFT partnered with Bilal Muslim Mission and provided Hand Water pumps in Kwale County, Kenya

Socio-Economic Regeneration and Micro-Finance

Projects that allow the most deserving to work themselves out of poverty are the ones that the trust particularly focuses on and wishes to expand. Our income generation projects help individuals, families and institutions develop skills and income to become financially independent and in the long run, non-reliant on charity.

Goat Income-Generation Project

The live goat project is one that really highlights the power of sustainable giving and the multiplication of a donation.

Goats are easy to raise and maintain, and multiply rapidly. Every year, a goat will give birth to 2-3 offspring, which in turn will be ready to reproduce after three years. Each family receives two or three goats and pledges to give the first female kid for other deserving families to start their own herds. For this reason, this project is self-sustaining and tends to be a profitable source of income as families are able to sell the goats milk ans use the manure as fertilizer.

Sewing Machines Projects

LFT continues to provides sewing machines to individuals empowering them to generate income from clothing sold. So far fourteen refugee families have been released from poverty due to this appeal

One of these ladies, Maryam Husseini said:

My life has changed significantly after receiving the sewing machine. Before, it was unbearable. Now, I have to work hard, but I can work and provide for my children.

Clothes workshop for Syrian refugees in Lebanon

In its latest endeavour, LFT has facilitated with the set-up of a clothes manufacturing workshop in Lebanon for eight Syrian widows who are particularly vulnerable, and has begun to train four more as apprentices. As a result, 85 people have benefited from this flourishing business initiative and many more will continue to do so as demand grows.

Pemba Tanzania: So far 20 families have benefitted from this appeal in Pemba.

Salim Seif said Our goats have started to produce kids, and are doing fine. They are in good health, and we pray for their constant wellbeing. The quantity of milk the goats are presently producing is not enough to feed all the kids and to sell milk. We have therefore left the mothers to feed their kids, hoping that in the very near future, we will have enough to feed them, and sell some as well. This kind donation has increased our livestock, and produces a good supply of manure as fertilizer for our small farms. InshaAllah this give us a good crop to assist in feeding our families and improve our living standards

Chengoni Kenya: 10 goats were disbursed to the Sakina Women Group

I am happy to have been given the live goat. The goat is doing well and it has in fact reproduced two goats, a male and a female. My family benefits from the milk that the goats provide. Mbodze Chombo Chongola

Thar Desert in Pakistan

Thar Desert make it difficult to grow crops, the climate easily sustains grass and shrubs, which are ideals food-sources for goats. To date, the LFT has distributed 102 goats, and we plan to continue to increase this figure in the next year

25 The Lady Fatemah (a.s.) Charitable Trust Gala Dinner

Eye Care

There are 39 million blind people in the world, but 80 per cent of blindness could be prevented or cured. Thats 31.2 million people who are blind when it could have been avoided. In poor countries for those affected by the loss of vision, eye health care is not easily accessible or is only available at a price that they cannot afford. The Lady Fatimah Trust is dedicated to doing something about this

The gift of sight is something many of us take for granted. Millions of people across the world suffer blindness and millions more have very limited sight or some form of visual impairment. Some have these problems from birth, others develop them in their early and middle years; many suffer from blindness bought about by old age and some have accidents that suddenly deprive them of their eyesight or severely restrict their vision. This has a profound effect on their lives and on their ability to learn and to work.

When a person is struck with a debilitating disease that results in blindness that person then loses their ability to support thier family. A domino effect then begins to play out as that person is forced into poverty and thus cannot contribute to the economy through buying and selling goods as he/she could prior to

the disease. The majority of people living with blindness are women, most blind people need someone to care for them, and this is usually a child. That child then misses out on the chance of an education because of their responsibilities.

Imagine a parent cannot provide for their family, they cannot watch their child blossom into adulthood, a child that cannot see the comfort a mothers embrace, and these are all unfortunate realities of many people living with visual impairment

Cataract Operations Kashmir and Pakistan

Cataracts are a common, easily curable condition which often develop with age. In the developing world cataracts are the primary cause of blindness. Cataract treatment is available globally at a very low cost but many cannot afford the 35 for this simple operation. For the cost of an average meal out, you can provide someone with the gift of sight and enable them to lead a fulfilled life. In Pakistan, the LFT is currently providing over 100 cataract operations a month. One beneficiary told us It is unbelievable that a poor woman like me is receiving such high quality treatment absolutely free of charge. May Allah shower his blessings upon the donors and staff of this hospital.

Karbala Eye Clinic - Opthalmology department

Our most ambitious project launched this year is funding Ophthalmology Department in the Karbala hospital. The Karbala Hospital is a new 8-story, 145-bed hospital with comprehensive and compassionate care for a population of 3 million at an affordable cost

International Experts including volunteers from UK and USA will regularly visit the department to operate, train and monitor the unit. This will ensure world class care is available to the people of Iraqi. The department will eventually become self-sufficient and the local people will benefit enjoy a high standard of care.We have contributed towards state of the art equipment and recovery beds and fund the training of local surgeons and local support staff.

One of the aims of the clinic is to provide free vision and hearing screening to Iraqi refugee primary school students. This is necessary as undiagnosed impairments of vision and hearing are one of the reasons why children fail at school. Those with impairments will then be referred on for appropriate medical attention.

Education is a fundamental right and the LFT passionately believes that the provision of education is the single greatest gift we can give to empower a community. Without an educated society we cannot hope to tackle the root causes of poverty.

The Lady Fatemah (a.s.) Charitable Trust strives to advance impoverished communities through education, and has been involved in funding grants for basic and higher education since its inception. As well as primary education as offered by many charities we believe that in order to reverse the brain drain seen by so many

Education

The provision of education creates opportunities to improve the quality of life and helps people to lift themselves out of poverty. Providing educational prospects is one of the key focuses of The Lady Fatemah (a.s.) Charitable Trust in its mission to tackle the root causes of poverty.

The sum total of excellence is knowledge.

Ali ibn Abi Talib (as)

countries, it is vital to support higher education to empower the new generation.

We are extremely keen to support female education as we strongly believe in the philosophy best described by Brigham Young: You educate a man; you educate a man. You educate a woman; you educate a generation. Consequently you will see that many of our educational projects are focussed on female education which is often culturally opposed or not promoted by state education boards.

In addition to educated students we have recently set up teacher education programmes to ensure that the level of education received by the students you support is off the highest quality. The teacher development program which is run bi-annually in the Gilgit-Baltistan region of Pakistan educates a total of 110 mainly female teachers each year. It costs under 200 to enhance the skills of a teacher which in turn directly impacts about 150 students annually.

Case Studies

Syed Afshar Kazmi Higher Education

This year the trust has continued its support for; Syed Afshar Husain Kazmi who is from Gigit Baltistan in Pakistan. The Trust supported him and his family after the family suffered financial hardship. Although his family sold land to support him; the financial struggles of studying in the West meant that the family had very little ability to support. With your support Syed Kazmi has completed a bachelors course at Politecnico di Torino, Italy in Mechanical and Production engineering and a masters degree in Engineering and Management. During his bachelors degree, Afshar spent a year in China on a research project and he has returned there for further research to complete his PhD project. The completion of his doctoral thesis will be a rewarding moment for Afshar and his family, made possible by you, the family of LFT patrons. He remains eternally grateful for support in his darkest moments and constant encouragement to complete his studies and achieve the highest grades which will no doubt hugely benefit him and his community when he returns to Pakistan.

LiFT educate, Gaza

Building on the success and the merits of the free meals programme in schools implemented in the UK, the LFT implemented a supplemental lunch program for children attending the Atfaluna School for the Deaf. The objective of the program is to provide a nutritious hot meal daily for 300 deaf students to supplement the meagre nutrition the students received at home.

Due to the severe economic situation caused by the siege imposed on the Gaza Strip, our partners requested funding from the Trust when it became clear that the children were simply not getting enough food to eat at home and were coming to school hungry, unable to concentrate, and with all the physical signs of under-nutrition. The lack of proper nutrition was affecting the childrens school performance and energy levels.

The Atfaluna School Councillor, Mariam Al Qatshan, was able to give a comprehensive picture of the students progress in class throughout the academic year. Upon discussing the students development, Mariam said:

Most of the children in the school are from very poor families, many of them come to school having had nothing to eat from the last meal they ate at Atfaluna. Families would hope to be able to provide their children with nutritious meals to keep them healthy, however, daily financial struggles leaves them unable to provide for their childrens basic needs.

Most of deaf students enrolled at Atfaluna School have visible signs of malnutrition. Most of them have low concentration levels in class and continuous fatigue. Prior the program, the students had little food to eat all day and barely had energy to concentrate. Teachers noted that the children would often day dream in class and complain of dizziness due to prolonged hunger.

Ramadhan Iftaar Appeal

Ramadhan Iftaar Appeal

This is one of the Trusts most widely supported projects, where, in some countries, as little as 3.35 can feed one person for an entire month.. In addition, the Trust also distributes zakaat funds to the poorest families on Eid, as well as gifts to children whose lives have been devastated by war.

If a person gives iftar to a fasting person in this month, his sins will be forgiven. And he will be given as many rewards as that fasting person

-Prophet Muhammed (pbuh)

For most of us, it may seem debilitatingly difficult to fast during tirelessly long summer days, but we do so with the knowledge that at the end of each day, we can quench our thirst with refreshingly cool water drawn from readily accessible taps, and satisfy our hunger with an abundance of food in our iftaar and suhoor, often over indulging. Unfortunately, for hundreds of millions of people elsewhere in the world, the fear and anxiety of remaining hungry and perpetually malnourished is an endless and devastating reality every day of the year.

In a month where fasting allows us to understand the plight of those less fortunate than ourselves, the LFT humbly requests you to donate.

There are many ways to help and support the LFT without donating money yourself. Your time, skills, network and fundraising ability can all be put to great use. We set out below, ways in which you can help.

1. Fundraise for us

Over the years people have carried out a myriad of sponsored challenges and fundraising events which have raised 1,000s of pounds for valuable projects. Weve had a range of activities from sponsored mountain climing to cake sales

Let your imagination run wild and contact us with your ideas. We can help with setting up your fundraising pages and provide you with information to share with your colleagues and friends.

2. Come up with a new idea

A few years ago a group of friends were waiting for Iftaar time in the Holy Month of Ramadhan. The discussion turned to how much money they were saving by not buying expensive coffee and lunch during the working day. From this conversation the concept Donate Your Latte was born. Over the last three years this idea which manifested as a simple website and donation page plus word of mouth advertising has raised over 5,000. This Ramadhan pledge to Donate Your Latte http://donateyourlatte.co.uk/

3.Advertise

Unlike many charities, we do not have an advertising budget. All our donations and supporters have come to know of us through you spreading the word about the good work we do. The first step of the trust being able to do its work is for people to know about what we do and our appeals. Spread the word amongst your friends, family and colleagues.

LFT needs your help

Najaf to Karbala sponsored walk

Donate your latte

4. Visit our projects

The LFT has projects around the world. We believe that once you see a project first hand, the connection to the progress you have helped create comes to life. If you are travelling to any of the countries we operate in, let us know and we can arrange for you to go and visit our projects. Alternatively plan a trip to spend a week or longer, Gap Year perhaps, volunteering at one of our projects.

5. Volunteer

As a small organisation, we are limited in our reach by the time our volunteers can offer. You can volunteer to help organise the next Gala Dinner, help to edit articles on our website, use your skills to create videos and better graphics for us. All of these and any other skills you feel you can offer will be of huge benefit and increase our reach. Let us know what you want to do and we will find you a role on the team.

Ultimately, the LFT is your charity and it is only through your support be it financial, time or volunteering that we can continue to progress and empower those in need. We are willing to support and help you fundraise in any way you like. Please do pledge this year not only to donate but to raise through any means you like so that we can continue our work.

Of course YOU are the Lady Fatemah Trust.

It is only with your support that we have improved the lives of thousands of people in many of the poorest countries worldwide. Although the need is great, we can make a difference. Thank you for being here today and continuing to support the Trust in its

goals.

Together we can change the world, one life at a time.

www.ladyfatemahtrust.org