7:00am Friday 3rd September 2010
By Claire Fox
A former Sutton mayor has sent funds to Pakistan after news of the recent disaster brought back distressing memories of his own experience in Pakistan's floods.
Lal Hussain MBE, has sent just under £3,000 through his charity, Sultan Haider Trust, to set up field kitchens in Muzafargarh and Noshehra.
Last week, he and his wife, Abida, packed up 55 food boxes to be handed over to the Pakistan Army for distribution. They plan to send another 50 in the next week or two.
Mr Hussain, who was Sutton's mayor from 2000 to 2001, was caught up in floods when when he was a refugee in Pakistan in 1947.
He said: “I know the devastation and I know what it feels like to be homeless and hungry, when you don't know where your next meal is coming from.
“I came to Pakistan from India with my father and mother. Whatever little we had, we lost in the floods and we were moved from one refugee camp to another.”
Mr Hussain said news of the floods triggered distressing memories of his time in refugee camps and spurred him into action.
He said: “We had three or four people helping to pack the boxes over five days. Another gentleman offered to take them to the airport, which would have been very expensive if we had to pay.
“Once the water recedes there is the much bigger problem of rehabilitation and we are planning to build some two-room houses.
“I still feel I have not done enough.”
Mr Hussain's charity has previously built and staffed four schools in the third worlds. The schools now teach 900 pupils. He raises money through the generous donations of friends and by holding functions.
He said: “We held a free function in Wallington in February. Three hundred people came and we raised £1,800 in one night.
To donate money or get involved visit sultanhaidertrust.com.
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