Sada-e-Watan Sydney ™
sadaewatan@gmail.com
PEACC- Dinner & Presentation of Cheque to Edhi for Earthquake Victims
The Event: Handing over $50,000 Cheque
to Edhi Foundation and seeing off Medical Volunteers
When: Thursday 15 June, 2006
Where: King Crab Restaurant, Ashfield Sydney
Attendees:
Peacc: Councillor Saeed Khan, Khalil
Allahwala, Dr Shabbir Haider, Bashir Malik, Uzma Malik, Hafiz Shahid Iqbal, Iqbal
Zaki
Edhi: Riaz Malik, Zia Qureshi, Pervaiz Buttar
Apheda: Peter Jennings, Candice Feuerring
Medical Volunteers: Craig Drury, Annette Keay & Madeleine Trewartha
Media: Rehan Alvi, Syed Zafar Hussain, Munir Mohammad & Arshad Siddiqui
Apologies:
Mr Azam Mohammed – Consul General of Pakistan has sent his apologies due to his official engagement in Canberra.
PEACC
The Pakistan Earthquake Appeal Coordination Committee was created by volunteers
from the Pakistan Community led by Councilor Saeed Khan and Khalil Allahwala,
supported by a number of other community leaders and organisations, to
coordinate a sustainable Australia-wide appeal for the victims of the South
Asian earthquake.
As PEACC is not a registered charity organization as its primary role has been
to encourage Australians to donate to charities of their choice to assist the
relief work.
However, many organisations and individuals did want to donate to PEACC directly
so we needed a charitable account. APHEDA helped us in this humanitarian cause (APHEDA
is an international humanitarian aid agency of the Australian Council of Trade
Unions). APHEDA also made it possible for us to fundraise within the Union
sector.
PEACC had realized that a cash appeal was not going to last for a very long
time, and even fundraisers would have a limited effect as time goes by;
therefore we investigated sustainable, long term and innovative ways to support
the victims of the devastating earthquake.
Team of Medical
Volunteers Leaving for Pakistan:
PEACC sponsored the first non
government Australian rehabilitation team to Pakistan earlier this year. The
trip was very successful and both National Institute For Human Development (NIHD)
and Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) patients and therapists
benefited greatly from the education and experience.
Following PEACC’s sponsored successful visit of Julia and Lisa, it was decided
to continue sponsoring such visits in the future. Now, we have sponsored another
three very highly qualified and experienced spinal cord injury and community
rehabilitation specialists who are leaving for Pakistan on 16 June for a five
week trip. The purpose of this trip is to treat patients, educate and train
therapists as well as management in aspects of community rehabilitation.
Edhi Foundation:
Edhi Trust established with mere Rs. 5000. What started as a one-man show
operating from a single room in Karachi is now the Edhi Foundation, the largest
welfare organization in Pakistan. The foundation has over 300 centres across the
country, in big cities, small towns and remote rural areas, providing free
medical aid, family planning and emergency assistance. They own air ambulances,
providing quick access to far-flung areas. Edhi International Foundation with
its branches in U.S.A., England, Australia, Japan, Bangladesh, U.A.E., and
Canada, are engaged in humanitarian work.
Edhi provides humanitarian aid whenever and wherever it is required either due
to earth quake, flood, civil war, drought and famine-stricken area etc.
Edhi has no boundaries….their relief programs are found in Afghanistan, Lebanon,
Japan, Ethiopia, Armania, Philippines Bangladesh, Somalia, Bosnia… the list goes
on and on and on.
PEACC Thanks!
On behalf of PEACC, coordinators Khalil Allahwala and Saeed Khan thanked the
following for their support:
1. Mainstream Australian community for their generosity towards the victims
2. Pakistan community members, all community organisations in general, Pakistan
Association of Australia and Urdu Society in particular for their support.
3. Uzma Malik for taking the lead in single-handedly organizing the teams of
professional volunteers to the affected areas in Pakistan. Also, for her
selfless work in treating the victims in Pakistan.
4. Medical volunteers for taking time to visit and treat effected patients as
well as training professionals
5. APHEDA for their support in fundraising as well arranging logistics for
volunteers teams.
6. Politicians:
a. Senator Bob Brown for taking special interest in relief work by launching
PEACC’s appeal as well lobbying and motions in the senate to increasing funding
and sending over ADF deployments.
b. Federal MP Laurie Ferguson (Read) for his work in the Parliament
c. Federal Government
7. Council across NSW for donating in access of $150,000 to various charities
8. Media: SBS Urdu language program and Sada-e-Watan, the local web based
Pakistani Newspaper.
9. PEACC team for their leadership and commitment to make it all happen
PEACC also launched its next initiative to fundraise for building a community
health centre in effected area.
