FURD
FURD workers Sajaad Rauf, Adnan Ilyas and Shakoor Ajaib and FURD volunteers Ibrar Mahmood and Hamza Hussain have returned from a trip to Hungary to deliver emergency supplies to refugee camps. They were among a group of nine friends who were so moved by media coverage of the refugee crisis they started an appeal for donations.
The response from the local community and local businesses was such that within three days enough donations had been gathered to fill several vans with warm clothes, toiletries, sleeping bags and tents.
FURD`s minibus was one of three packed vans which set off last Tuesday, 8th September and travelled for 36 hours to Hungary where the supplies were delivered.
Sajaad said, `the refugee camps looked like concentration camps. There was a mixture of Syrian, Afghani and Iraqi people there. It started raining and people were getting cold, the shelter and clothing many people had was inadequate. One woman from the Red Cross had to single handedly carry everything from the van into the camp as the authorities wouldn`t help and wouldn`t let us in to help unload. But everything we took was gratefully received as people there are so much in need of basic supplies.`
Thank you to everyone who donated to the appeal.
Anyone wanting to help can make a cash donation at the U-Mix Centre as another volunteer is flying to Hungary next Thursday and will buy supplies over there to deliver to the camps over the Eid period.
Listen to an account of the trip by Hamid Niazi broadcast on Radio Sheffield at the link below - starting at 9 minutes in.
Watch a short film clip showing conditions in the camp on our Faceook page - see link below.