In August 2018, Kerala, my home state in India, experienced the worst flooding it has seen in over a century. Over 1 MILLION PEOPLE HAVE BEEN DISPLACED with 50,000 HOMES WASHED AWAY. 80,000 KM OF ROADS are damaged with 39 BRIDGES needing repair. 3,200 RELIEF CAMPS have been set up and the cost of beginning to rehabilitate has been estimated at 200 BILLION INDIAN RUPEES [Statista Aug 2018].

I have witnessed first hand, the magnitude of the destruction that has been caused to the lives of people in Kerala as my own parents were caught up in the floods and they had to be evacuated from their home with destruction of all their possessions. Thankfully they are now safe and fortunately have the means to re-build their home which is sadly not the case for many of the poor locals who have lost loved ones as well as losing their homes, which some have spent a life-time working for with now nothing left to show for it.

Looking at photos and videos of the destruction that has happened in a place I was born and where I have had many happy memories has been heartbreaking and thinking about how we can help from thousands of miles away has been overwhelming to say the least. However, inspired by our very close family friend Dr Lulu Basheer, and the Malayalee community in Leeds we have decided to host a fundraising afternoon in Adel, Leeds (details below) to raise funds towards REHABILITATING HOMES and I hope you can join us too.

Dr Basheer will ensure the funds raised are used on the ground in Kerala where she will be meeting families and helping those that need it the most. As a Civil Engineer and a property developer, with her many contacts I know she will work tirelessly to bring relief to even a handful of families. In her own words - 'It will take years for many to come back to anything close to normality'.

WITH YOUR SUPPORT, WE CAN HELP HER DO THIS.

Fundraiser details:

"Home made Indian Food, Entertainment, Skin Cancer Awareness and Mole checks"

14th October: 3pm - 6pm. Adel Old Stables, Church lane, LS16 8DW.

'We will have home made Indian food, face painting and entertainment for kids, sale of Indian costume jewellery and clothes etc.'

As a Consultant Dermatologist (skin specialist) I will be offering free mole checks and also giving a brief talk about skin cancer and sun protection so please come along and enjoy what should be an enjoyable and educational day all for a very good cause!

Tickets: £10 - adults, £5 - children under 10 years, children under 18 months - free.

Spread the news! It will be a great day! Did I say, HOME MADE INDIAN FOOD?!

Contact: lulub2000@hotmail.com for further information

*All fundraising is organised through KAMP - a group of professionals based in England to help connect families from Kerala. Their charity work includes supporting education, health care and housing in Kerala.* kampuk.com