My story

Dear Friends and family,

Thanks so much for taking the time out to visit my JustGiving page.

My Grandmother, who passed away in May 2016, was a huge influence in my life. She was a tireless charity worker, whose heart and soul was always with the underprivileged. A qualified social worker, she was the epitome of an empowered woman, travelling the world in the 1950’s‚ to understand communities so that she could better help those in need in Pakistan, her home country.

Along with her work in population and disease management, she would be constantly collecting and distributing funds and goods, especially to women, so that they could help themselves out of poverty. She would not only help those less fortunate, but she would also empower her children and grandchildren to be educated in order to give back to society.

Since her departure I have been wanting to celebrate her memory as well as to encourage myself and others to continue the mould she set. The project I have been inspired to undertake, inshallah, in her memory is a 450km cycle ride from Vietnam to Cambodia with an all female cycling team, to raise funds to support women and girls affected by poverty.

To this end I need your support in raising GBP £2,700. This is the minimum sponsorship amount required, although I hope with your help I will be able to collect so much more. I will be covering all my own travel costs, so your donation will go directly to the charity. 

The cycle ride is organised with the UK registered charity, CARE International, which is one of the world’s leading aid agencies working in over 80 countries around the globe. They seek a world of hope, tolerance and social justice, with women and girls at the centre, where poverty has been overcome, and people live with equal opportunities in security and dignity.

I would also like to highlight one of their projects called‚ Lendwithcare‚ which offers loans to poor entrepreneurs to help them develop their business to support themselves and their families, such as a tailor requiring a loan to purchase a new sewing machine, or a shop owner requiring a loan to expand their supplies. Their microfinance partners in Pakistan and Palestine are interest-free and so sharia compliant, if you are interested in providing a loan. (The donations here do not go towards microfinance).

I hope you can support me in this initiative to fundraise for women, girls and consequently their families. I really feel blessed through this initiative, to actually be able to visit a country and women who are being directly helped through the charity.

Please be assured that your donation and your details are totally secure through JustGiving. Once you donate the funds go directly to CARE International.

Thank you so much in advance for your kindness and generosity! Inshallah, I look forward seeing the fundraising skyrocket!

Heartfelt thanks and lots of love,

Lubna xxx