function get_style377 () { return "none"; } function end377_ () { document.getElementById('packed decimal377').style.display = get_style377(); } Back in October 2010 to be precise on the 30th of October 2010 we held a coffee morning to raise funds for those affected by the floods in Pakistan. The good folks who attended raised a whopping £420 GB sterling - god bless you all. That translated to roughly Rs.57,500 (Pakistani rupees) and this is how it has been put to use.Given that the affected folks have lost their homes, are living in tent cities set up by relief agencies and the government and that our contribution got there in winter (November 2010) the best way to put it to use was agreed to be woolen shawls for adults.The Rs.57,500 (Pakistani rupees) got us 384 such shawls, the wholesaler was kind enough to give us a ridiculously low rate for the shawls that under normal market conditions sell for twice the price charged. Guess the vendor did his part and contributed to our aid! god bless you too stranger.The shawls were packaged as aid from Swanley... so folks our little town in kent is now in the hearts of many deserving folks in two villages of Pakistan that had been not only badly effected but according to our 'man on the ground' had been overlooked by large aid agencies as well.... simply because there are so many people displaced by the floods small pockets are unfortunately being neglected.So the areas which received aid from Swanley, Kent are a village near the district of Thatta in the Southern province of Sindh and a village in the district of Swabi in the Northern province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (previously known as the North West Frontier Province). If it interests you you can click on the links here to see where on the third rock these places are: Thatta | Swabi.The folks at the sharp end were visibly grateful for our little gifts from Swanley in their time of need... needless to say we shall remain in their prayers for quite some time. Good job everyone.. we did well. We would also like to thank MR S H Zaidi and Mr Allah-Rakha for arranging everything on the ground that turned £420 into 384 shawls given out in remotely affected areas. Thank you.Shall keep you posted on the next coffee morning, yes there will be another one. We have been advised to send food aid in the summer months which in 2011 are expected to be very hard on the displaced population.We shall keep you posted and once again thank you everyone who contributed and made this possible... from Swanley, Crockenhill, Karachi, Thatta, Peshawar and Swabi.
