The Lady Fatemah (a.

s) Charitable trust
est. 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
we believe, is not a distant dream,
can achieve by working together. We
being as equal; each individual has

and suffering; this

but a goal that we
value every human
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
Trust s 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 wor
king
with a global network of like-minded partners to assist in responding effectivel
y and
urgently to natural disasters as well as working with communities and organisati
ons
catering to meet long-term humanitarian needs, such as the provision of clean
water, education, healthcare and most importantly, income generation. It is the
Trust s vision that anyone who is helped via trust funds will become selfsufficien
t,
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 g
reat
source of inspiration and humility for the Trustees. It is only through the gene
rosity
of yourselves, our donors, that together we have been able to assist thousands o
f
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 sp

read
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 detail
s
of the scope and nature of our myriad activities. Should you wish to work with u
s in
any capacity please do not hesitate to let one of our team know. We hope that yo
u
will continue to support us in our endeavours, and join us along our journey tow
ards
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 trust s core ethos of sustain
able
giving, we aim for a situation where those we assist do not continue to remain
dependent. The Lady Fatemah (a.s) Charitable Trust doesn t 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.

What We Do

The mission of The Lady Fatemah (a.s.) Charitable Trust is to try and assist any
one who
comes to us with a worthy cause or need which we can verify and fund in accordan
ce with
our ethos. This has over the years resulted in ambitious projects ranging from s
ustainable
development programmes to the simplest of charity, putting a smile on an individ
ual s face.
As you will see from the following pages, we operate globally and support projec
ts in the
Indian subcontinent, Burma, Syria, Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran, Lebanon, Occupied Pa
lestine,
East Africa and Indonesia.
Our key philosophy and USP is to operate on the basis of zero administration fee
s, 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 breakdown
s even
down to the last pencil.
The Lady Fatemah (a.s.) Charitable Trust works with charitable partner organisat
ions who
are on the ground. This allows us to closely inspect each of the appeals that ar
ise and
provide on-going support and advice. As they have local expertise and connection
s and are
in direct contact with the communities in need, we can try and ensure that the a
ssistance
reaches exactly where needed, as efficiently and quickly as possible.
Wherever possible and particularly for large projects, The Lady Fatemah (a.s.) C
haritable Trust
works closely with other international charities so as to leverage the full bene
fit of collective
goodwill and local expertise. We have found that joining hands with other organi
sations
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 anal
yse the
projects that come before us. If you believe you have expertise and/or time to a
ssist behind

the scenes please let us know.

Projects and Case Studies

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 continu
ing
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 e
nsure
their future generations are empowered to produce long lasting change in their o
wn
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 newslet
ter
or download our mobile app.

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

Provision of Clean Water

We made from water every living thing
Qur an 21:30
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.
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. That s 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.

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 qu
ality
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 belo
w
the needs of its residents and even where supplies are granted, maintenance and
repair often falls to the residents of localities themselves. Alike other countr
ies,
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 every
day
living. The LFT s commitment to helping towards providing safe water in Pakistan
will alleviate suffering and restore health and dignity to numerous villages acr
oss
Pakistan.
West Bank
In the West Bank, the LFT provided a water purification and cooling system to th
e
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
rapidly. Every year, a goat
which in turn will be ready
Each family receives two or

maintain, and multiply

will give birth to 2-3 offspring,
to reproduce after three years.
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 selfsustaining 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 pres
ently producing is
not enough to feed all the kids and to sell milk. We have therefore left the mot
hers 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. Insha Allah this give us a good crop to assist in feeding our familie
s 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 i
n fact reproduced two
goats, a male and a female. My family benefits from the milk that the goats prov
ide. Mbodze Chombo
Chongola
Thar Desert in Pakistan
Thar Desert make it difficult to grow crops, the climate easily sustains grass a
nd shrubs, which are
ideals food-sources for goats. To date, the LFT has distributed 102 goats, and w
e plan to continue to
increase this figure in the next year
Eye Care
There are 39 million blind people in the world, but 80 per cent of blindness cou
ld
be prevented or cured. That s 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 he
alth
care is not easily accessible or is only available at a price that they cannot a
fford.
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 a
cross the world suffer
blindness and millions more have very limited sight or some form of visual impai
rment. Some have these
problems from birth, others develop them in their early and middle years; many s
uffer from blindness
bought about by old age and some have accidents that suddenly deprive them of th
eir eyesight or severely
restrict their vision. This has a profound effect on their lives and on their ab
ility to learn and to work.

When a person is struck with a debilitating disease that results in blindness th

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

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 Departmen
t in the Karbala
hospital. The Karbala Hospital is a new 8-story, 145-bed hospital with comprehen
sive 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 th
e 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 fun
d 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 app
ropriate medical attention.

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)
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
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 fi
nancial 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
bachelor s course at
Politecnico di Torino, Italy in Mechanical and Production engineering and a mast
er s degree in Engineering
and Management. During his bachelor s degree, Afshar spent a year in China on a re
search project and he
has returned there for further research to complete his PhD project. The complet
ion 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 encou
ragement to complete his
studies and achieve the highest grades which will no doubt hugely benefit him an
d his community when he
returns to Pakistan.
LiFT educate, Gaza
Building on the success and the merits of the free meals programme in schools im
plemented 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 Str
ip, our partners requested
funding from the Trust when it became clear that the children were simply not ge
tting enough food to eat
at home and were coming to school hungry, unable to concentrate, and with all th
e physical signs of undernutrition. The lack of proper nutrition was affecting the children s school perfor
mance and energy levels.
The Atfaluna School Councillor, Mariam Al Qatshan, was able to give a comprehens
ive picture of the student s
progress in class throughout the academic year. Upon discussing the student s deve
lopment, 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 b
e able to provide their children

with nutritious meals to keep them healthy, however, daily financial struggles l
eaves them unable to provide
for their children s basic needs.
Most of deaf students enrolled at Atfaluna School have visible signs of malnutri
tion. Most of them have low
concentration levels in class and continuous fatigue. Prior the program, the stu
dents 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

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)
Ramadhan Iftaar Appeal
This is one of the Trust s 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.
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.

LFT needs your help

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 fund
raising events
which have raised 1,000s of pounds for valuable projects. We ve had a range of acti
vities from
sponsored mountain climing to cake sales
Let your imagination run wild and contact us with your ideas. We can help with s
etting 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 Mont
h 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 Latt
e was born.
Over the last three years this idea which manifested as a simple website and don
ation page plus
word of mouth advertising has raised over 5,000. This Ramadhan pledge to Donate Y
our Latte
http://donateyourlatte.co.uk/
3.Advertise
Unlike many charities, we do not have an advertising budget. All our donations a
nd 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 wh
at we do and our
appeals. Spread the word amongst your friends, family and colleagues.
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 fi
rst 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. Alternative
ly 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 o
ffer 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 fi
nancial, 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